Wrong Question
by nherbie
Summary: Deeks has been accused of murder. What is his team's reaction? Okay, so THIS just became an alternate ending or maybe even alternate timeline?
1. Chapter 1

A/N – I just want to preface this with the fact that I firmly believe this is not going to happen. That Kensi and the rest will stand behind him and believe in him. I am a HUGE Densi fan. However, the plot bunnies went wild while I was in Aruba on hiatus last week and I haven't been able to rein them in. Apparently they read the tweet ECO placed out there about Defectors being the beginning of the end for Deeks, #wehadagoodrun. Evil little buggers….

I own nothing but the DVDs, but Christmas is coming!

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He felt like his whole body was numb. He was actually kind of glad as he was not looking forward to the feeling of heartbreak he knew was in store for him. He saw her mouth moving, knew she was still talking but the only thing he could hear was the same question, over and over. "Tell me why you did it Deeks." She believed them. She believed that he'd cold bloodedly murdered his ex-partner and then lied about it for years. He'd thought she knew him better than that but, apparently, he was wrong. He flashed back to when Granger had accused her of murdering the members of her dad's old unit. How she had started to ask if he believed it and he hadn't even let her finish, assuring her that he didn't, not for a minute.

His hands fell off the bars that separated them. He'd been so relieved to see her, waiting to hear the words that she believed in him, that they were going to do everything they could to find the real killer and get him out of here. Instead, the first words that had been said had crushed him. He took a step back and interrupted her. "Wrong question Kensi." His voice emotionless and his face and eyes blank.

She stopped talking and looked at him in confusion. "What?"

"Wrong question." He repeated softly and turned away from her, trying to put as much distance between them as possible, ignoring her calling out his name. He reached the far end of the holding cell and put his back against the same wall as the bars. The only way she could see him would be to force her head through the bars and he knew even she couldn't execute that feat. He slid down until he was sitting on the floor, knees drawn up, hands hanging off them. He didn't want to think, didn't want to do anything but sink through the floor. He was more than slightly disappointed when it didn't happen.

Kensi gave up calling out his name. He had seemed fine one minute and then the next he had completely shut down. He'd walked away and hadn't responded to her, leaving her feeling foolish in front of the bars, all eyes on her. What the hell was going on in that shaggy head of his? They needed to talk about this. They needed to work out a defense strategy. Get him a lawyer. When she realized he wasn't going to return to her, she went back out to the waiting room. Maybe Sam or Callen would have better luck.

"How's he doing? How's he holding up?" Sam asked as soon as she appeared.

"Not good. He seemed fine at first but then he just shut down on me. Went blank and walked away. Wouldn't respond to me, wouldn't even look at me. I don't know what else to do!"

Callen sighed and stood up. "Let me go in and talk to him. Maybe he'll respond to someone he's not as…close to." The other two nodded and he walked up to the door, showing his badge to the officer guarding it. "I need to talk to Detective Deeks." The other man huffed out a laugh but let him through. Callen knew that others at LAPD didn't like Deeks and he worried that one of them would deliberately let it slip that he was a cop. A cop in with general population, even if just a holding cell, was a target. They needed to get him out of here as soon as possible or at least booked and bail set. Hetty and Granger had both indicated that NCIS would post it, no matter how much it was.

"Deeks!" he said as soon as he reached the bars. He couldn't see their Liaison Officer but knew he was in there somewhere. Deeks body automatically responded to his team leader's voice and he was on his feet and approaching the bars before he consciously thought about it. He stopped a few feet away and tilted his head at Callen, not saying anything, waiting to see what fresh pain would be heaped on him. He didn't have long to wait. "Kensi said you shut down on her. What's up with you? Are you worried what else they might have on you?"

The words reverberated inside his head. He was already numb so they didn't have as much as an effect as Kensi's had. "What else? What else? What else?" echoed in his mind. As with Kensi, he looked at Callen and said blankly "Wrong question Agent Callen." and then he walked back to his place along the wall, not caring that Callen was demanding he turn around and come back. He figured Sam would be next and was determined he would not respond if he was. He couldn't bear to hear what the ex-Navy Seal would have to say. They had come a long way in their relationship since the run in with Sidorov and his unique form of dentistry but Sam backslid sometimes and now he was sure this would be one of those times.

He was proven right when he heard Callen leave and then the door open again a few minutes later. He heard Sam's voice calling his name but he refused to respond, sitting doggedly on the floor staring into space. Others around him seem to find the situation amusing. It was at least entertaining in the boredom that was pervasive in this place where gang bangers, hookers, drunk drivers and _murderers_ all rubbed shoulders. Eventually Sam gave up and left. Deeks sighed and closed his eyes in the quiet, listening to the odd conversations that popped up around him but not really taking anything in. The numbness was starting to wear off and he was fighting tears. This was not the place to break down. He almost had it conquered when another voice called his name. This one soft and pleading. He stood up quickly and almost ran to her. He placed a hand over the older one resting on the bars. "You shouldn't have come, mom. This isn't a place for you."

"How could I not come? My baby is behind bars for a murder he didn't commit and what, I'm supposed to stay at home and knit? Make a lasagna?" The last question got a small laugh from Deeks, he knew his mom knew how much he loved her lasagna and her words warmed her. _She_ _knew_ he was innocent, why couldn't the people he counted on most each day, people he had come to care about like family, the woman he loved who he had _thought_ loved him in return, believe it? They talked for a few more minutes and then her visit time was up. She left, promising to find a lawyer, promising that, whatever it took; they would get him out of there. He watched her go and wondered, and go where? He went back to what he was coming to think of as his spot.

He'd thought that was the end of it, that there was no one else to see his humiliation when he heard her distinctive voice. "Mr. Deeks?" It was Hetty. He found himself curious to see how she perceived the situation. Would she believe him guilty as well? _She_ had pursued _him_. _She_ had persuaded _him_ to become the Liaison Officer. _She_ had offered _him_ the paperwork that would have had him resign from the LAPD and join NCIS as a full-fledged agent. _He_ hadn't asked for any of it. Would she be thinking she had made a mistake or would she stand behind her belief that he was a good man? He walked slowly up to the bars, searching her eyes. She reached out and took his hand, palming something into it. "How are you holding up dear?"

He took what she had placed in his hand and casually pulled away, putting his hands in his pockets. By feel he could tell the item she'd passed him was an earwig and something smaller. Button camera maybe? Why would she do that? "I'm doing as well as can be expected, I guess."

"I heard from the others that you were not being very cooperative Mr. Deeks. Why?"

Ignoring her question he asked one of his own. "Do you believe them Hetty? Do you believe that I murdered my old partner?"

She looked him right in the eyes and said "Of course not. Why would you even ask that? _Did_ you do it?"

He laughed mirthlessly. "Finally, the right question. Apparently my _team_ had no problem believing it at all." He watched her face carefully and realized he had managed to shock the normally all-knowing, all-seeing, all-powerful Henrietta Lange.

"Well, I guess I'll have to correct them as soon as I can, Mr. Deeks. I need you to know that NCIS is behind you, 100% percent. We'll be in touch." Her eyes focused on the pocket he had placed the earwig into. He nodded in understanding and watched her leave. He would give just about anything to be able to leave with her.

Moving back to his spot, he carefully took out the earwig and put it in, pretending to scratch at his ear to hide the movement. He turned it on and heard Eric's familiar voice in his ear. "Deeks? I know you can't talk but tap the earwig once for yes, twice for no. Can you hear me?" Deeks gently tapped it once. "Good! Okay, I'm sorry that we couldn't tell you this before, but Granger has had Nell and me looking into what IA was trying to get on you for months. He asked me not to say anything to you as he didn't want you to act differently and raise their suspicions that you somehow knew what was going on. Do you understand?" He tapped once more.

Another voice came softly over the comm. "Hey Shaggy! We miss you and we'll get you out of this, I promise!" The sound of his Velma's voice almost did him in. Then Eric was back.

"Okay. Now, here's what we've got. We know that you were questioned back when it happened but that you had an alibi in the form of the woman you were dating then. She corroborated your statement that you were with her all night. Right after the IA investigation started she recanted her statement. Changed it to you weren't with her and didn't show up until 3 AM. Coroner puts Boyle's death at sometime between midnight and 2 AM. That leaves you without an alibi. Do you know why she would do that?" Tap, tap, pause, tap, tap, pause, tap, tap.

"I'll take that as an emphatic no. Nell and I have done some digging and found a substantial deposit made to an account in her name around the same time. We've been able to trace it back through several shell corporations. You aren't going to believe who it belongs to! Clarence Fisk!" Tap, tap.

"I'm going to take that as a disbelieving whaattt?" Tap.

"We all know you aren't guilty buddy." Tap, tap.

"What do you mean no? You are guilty?" Tap, tap.

"I feel like I'm playing charades or something. Ok, you aren't guilty but you said no when I said we all knew you weren't guilty. Does that mean you think some of us DID think you were?" Tap.

"That doesn't seem possible! We all know you! You would never kill anyone unless your life or someone else's was in immediate danger. You know what? It doesn't matter right now. Right now we need to find out why IA had you in their sights to start with. The other item Hetty handed you was a button cam. Make sure you have it on you at all times." Tap. He pulled out the second item and gently attached it to the collar on his long sleeved t-shirt. He hoped it would pass inspection as just a decorative button or snap.

"Okay, I've got the feed coming through. Deeks, I really am sorry you're stuck in that place." Tap. Eric remembered the one time he'd been arrested when his gaming buddy Ira had been attacked. It was hard to forget it as the picture of him in his polar bear fleece pants, bearded guy sleeping on his shoulder, was still floating around ops and popped up every once in a while. He shuddered.

Eric started to say something more when another officer came up to the bars and called out his name. "Deeks?" He stood up and walked to the bars. The man undid the lock and opened the door. "Your lawyer's here."

"What lawyer?"

"Don't ask me, I just work here. She's waiting for you in interview room one. Put your hands behind your back." Deeks complied and felt the cuffs slapped on him again. He would never be able to cuff someone with the same nonchalance he once had. He wondered if his mom had managed to get a lawyer so quickly. The officer prodded him out of the holding area and through a door leading to interview rooms. He almost fell over when the woman looked up at him when they entered.

"Monica Lee?" he said for Eric's sake. She smiled at him, the smile not reaching her eyes. The officer bowed out of the room after uncuffing him.

"I've got her on camera Deeks, good job. FYI, we're recording all of this. See if you can get her to admit that Fisk is behind all this." Tap.

He sat in the chair facing her. "Why are you here as my lawyer? You aren't even one anymore, weren't you disbarred after we found out Quinn was the mole leaking information from LAPD to you? Information you then used to get Fisk acquitted time and again?"

All pretense of civility fled Monica's face. The man in front of her had ruined her life. "A small white lie Detective Deeks. You're right, thanks to you I'm no longer able to practice law in California, nor anywhere else for that matter. You took everything away from me."

Deeks sighed. "I didn't take anything away from you Ms. Lee. Everything you had was ill gotten and based on lies and deceit. Quinn was the one who gave you both up."

"He never would have, had you not talked him into it. He would have kept his mouth shut and I would have gotten him out of it. But no, you had to go all greater good on him and he flipped on us. I lost EVERYTHING!" She paused to calm herself and smiled at him again, this time like a cat with the canary firmly in her sights. "How does it feel Detective? Knowing that everything you care about is about to be ripped away from you?"

Deeks stared at her open mouthed, momentarily without a response. He blinked a couple times and said "You and Fisk are behind this? How did you get to Stephanie? How much did it take to get her to change her story?"

Monica looked back at him and said "I have no idea what you're talking about Detective. I simply heard you were arrested for murder and wanted to see the high and mighty Detective Deeks taken down a few notches. I wanted to see your face when I asked what it felt like. Thank you for a very rewarding response." She stood up. "I'll be going now. I wouldn't want to overstay my welcome." She knocked on the door and the officer came back to let her out.

Deeks stood up and put his hands behind his back without the officer asking. He was recuffed and taken back to holding. He didn't even bother asking if they could skip the cuffs even if he told the officer that he would cooperate, he already knew the answer. Once back in holding, he rubbed his wrists. Then Eric was back. The familiar sound of the techie's voice in his ear gave him strength.

"Okay, we didn't get anything we could use in court from that but it's fairly obvious they're involved in this somehow. How else would she have even known you were arrested or where you are? The story hasn't been released yet. Hmmm. With John Quinn behind bars, I wonder exactly how she _did_ find out about this. Do you think Fisk could've had more than one cop on his payroll?" Deeks thought about it for a minute and then tapped his earwig once. Quinn would have given up another cop that was on Fisk's payroll but only _if_ he had known about it. Could Fisk have had multiple cops on the take, none of them knowing about the others so that they couldn't rat each other out if they got caught?


	2. Chapter 2

A/N – I promised myself I wouldn't watch any sneak peeks CBS posted for Internal Affairs. Then, there they were, sitting so innocently on WikiDeeks, mocking me. I tried, I really did! But like a lot of addicts, I finally gave into my addiction. Again and again and again. I incorporated the dialogue from the second one in bold. It was too good to pass up! Also, I may have gotten the order of booking, printing etc messed up but call it creative license!

A/N 2 - Thanks to honus47 for reviewing as always!

Don't own NCIS:LA, its characters or its dialogue, just borrowing them for a moment. I'll give them back…when I'm good and ready.

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Chapter 2

"Deeks."

He looked up when he heard his name called.

"Get up, time to head down to booking."

He got up from his place on the floor and moved to the door. The officer opened it and Deeks turned to present his hands to be cuffed once more. Once he was secured, the officer roughly pushed him towards the door leading to the booking area. So this was how it was going to go. They fingerprinted him, swabbed his cheek for a DNA sample and took his mug shot, every cop he was passed on to glaring at him. Once everything was done, the same officer brought him down to the jail, cat calls coming from the other men in the cells that they passed. When they arrived at his cell, the officer uncuffed him, shoved him in, clanging the door shut behind him with just a little more force than necessary. He got it, he really did. They thought he was a cop killer. Not just any cop killer, but a cop who'd killed a cop. He shivered. Now that he was finally alone, he spoke quietly.

"Eric?"

"We're here. How're you doing?"

"I've been better. Tell me you have something."

"Not yet but we aren't giving up. We're gonna get you out of this!"

"I hope so." Eric wasn't used to hearing that tone in Deeks's voice. Even when things were bad, he always seemed upbeat, ready with a smile or a joke. Now he just sounded defeated and sad.

"Deeks! Who are you talking to in there?" The guard came down the hallway and stared through the bars suspiciously.

"No one, just myself. Trying to work things out in my head. Things I need to remember to tell my lawyer."

The man laughed. "You're going to have to do better than that." The laughter died and he leaned forward towards Deeks. "You'll be lucky to be around long enough to see a lawyer."

"Are you threatening me?"

"Nope. Just thought you might be interested to know that Bruce Steadman saw you brought in. He knows you were finally arrested for killing his partner. How long do you think it will be before he gets to you?"

Deeks remembered seeing Steadman when he was brought in. Great, just what he needed on top of everything else that had gone to hell in his life.

"Mr. Deeks. Do not let him goad you into doing something stupid." Hetty's voice sounded in his ear. He smiled at the sound and the guard looked taken aback. This was not how the man behind the bars was supposed to react to what he had just said. He shook his head and walked away, his message delivered.

"You'll have to be more careful in communicating with us Mr. Deeks. Please don't talk directly to us unless it's something important to the case. We can't have them become suspicious and find your earwig." Tap.

"Very good. Now, I've contacted my lawyer and he's agreed to take on your case. He has some free time tomorrow afternoon and will be contacting you. Hopefully by then, they'll have assessed bail and we'll have paid it. You'll be able to meet with him at his office. If not, then he'll come to you there."

"Thanks." He breathed out.

"Mr. Deeks. What did I tell you?" Tap. He sat down on the hard bed and looked around the cell that just might become his home if NCIS couldn't prove he was innocent. He knew for sure LAPD wasn't looking to help him get out of this. He lost himself in thought, wondering what his life would have been like if he had taken a different path when he had been young and stupid, running with Ray, doing stupid things. Would he have ended up here sooner? Would this have been his life, in and out of jail? He had joined LAPD because he wanted to make a difference, something he hadn't seemed to be able to do as a Public Defender, and yet here he was. Maybe this was what fate had had in mind for him all along. It had just taken longer for him to get to this point.

The next hour passed slowly. He was bored. He had nothing to read, obviously no television. Eric tried to talk to him, to keep his spirits up but it was hard to hold a one-sided conversation and eventually the techie had given up. When the door at the end of the hall opened, Deeks looked up in anticipation and not a little trepidation. He took comfort from the fact that Eric, Nell and Hetty were on the comms and that everything was being listened to and recorded.

"Deeks. Let's go. Your presence is requested in Interview One." He recognized the voice.

"Well, well, Officer Northam. Long time no see."

"Yeah, Deeks, and I could have gone longer, believe me." Northam had the guard open the cell door. Deeks held out his hands, hoping the other cop would cuff him with his hands in front, not behind his back. The man said nothing, just placed the cuffs on him before punching him in the stomach. Deeks doubled over and tried to catch his breath.

"Crap!" Eric's shocked voice sounded in his ear. "Deeks, are you okay?"

Deeks straightened up and lifted his hands. Northam took a step back and placed his hand on the butt of the gun hanging at his side. Deeks grimaced at him and pretended to rub his head, using the movement to tap once on the earwig. He had survived worse.

"You hit like a girl, Northam."

The man's face went red and he stepped closer to Deeks. "You're a lousy cop killer. I hope you get what's coming to you!"

"Did it _ever_ cross your mind that I might not have done it?"

"Not once."

Deeks just shook his head. He had known there would be repercussions to his reporting Francis Boyle's actions all those years ago. He just hadn't realized how far reaching the consequences would be. If he had it to do over again, knowing what he knew now, would he do it? He thought about it for just a second and then nodded his head. Yup, he would. It had been the right thing to do even though nothing had really come of it. Boyle had gotten a reprimand but that was about it. He just kept on doing what he'd always done and Deeks became persona non grata. No one would work with him after that and he had ended up doing undercover work. Still, that had led him to Hetty which had resulted in him working with NCIS for the last seven years. He'd thought he'd finally found his place but the last few hours had shaken that belief. He was torn. Hetty, Nell and Eric were standing by him. Callen and Kensi, HIS Kensi, had questioned him, had believed the lies. He still wasn't sure about Sam. By refusing to talk to him, he hadn't gotten his take on it. He'd been so sure that Sam would follow along with his partner like he always did. Now Deeks was regretting not letting him have his say. Maybe Sam would have surprised him.

"Let's go!" Northam grabbed him and started frog marching him down the hall. There were more cat calls as they passed. When they reached the interview room, Northam opened the door and basically threw Deeks into the chair.

Deeks huffed out a "Tah." He lifted his cuffed hands and let them drop back into his lap as he sighed heavily. He looked up at the unknown woman standing in the corner, her ankles crossed.

" **Detective Ellen Whiting, Internal Affairs."** She uncrossed her ankles and pushed away from the wall.

" **Thought Rivera was leading this witch hunt?"**

" **Not anymore."** She said as she moved closer to the table and him.

" **Why? They decided to give her a real case? Listen, now that the show of parading me through here in cuffs is over, do you mind if we get rid of these?"** He lifted his cuffed hands and wiggled his fingers while he said it. Whiting just cocked her head.

Before she could say anything, the door was flung open and Bruce Steadman burst through. **"You son of a bitch!"** he yelled as he backhanded Deeks across the face, knocking him out of the chair.

Whiting seemed less than concerned. **"Detective?"** She sounded almost bored.

Steadman reached down and lifted Deeks up, slamming him against the wall. Never one to avoid poking the bear, Deeks said **"Did you miss me?"**

Steadman's right hand went around Deeks's throat and squeezed tight. Deeks reached up and grabbed hold but couldn't break his grip. **"If you killed my partner, you're a dead man."**

Deeks's boss, Lt. Roger Bates, came through the door, Officer Northam on his heels. Bates had caught wind that Steadman was headed for Deeks but was still surprised to see the man holding him up against the wall, his hand wrapped around the other man's throat. He heard Steadman issue the threat.

" **Hey! Knock it off Steadman!"** he yelled as he pulled the man away from Deeks.

Whiting finally decided to take an interest in the goings on. **"Get your man under control Lt."**

He pushed Steadman towards Northam. **"Get him out of here. Now!"** Northam took Steadman by the arms from behind and pushed him out the door. Bates turned back to Deeks who was doubled over in pain. He expressed no sympathy. **"Why is that you bring trouble wherever you go Deeks?"** he asked instead.

Still gasping for air, Deeks answered **"I don't know. I was born under a bad sign."**

" **Yeah. Out of order."**

Deeks just looked up at his LAPD boss. His hands still on his knees, he quipped **"That's a nice moustache Lt. You doing undercover work in gay porn again?"** He finally started to straighten up but he only made it halfway, the pain hit and he doubled over again. While upright for that brief moment, he noticed that Whiting was fighting a smile at his question.

Bates shook his head and wagged his finger at Deeks. **"Ha. I didn't have to pull him off you."**

Whiting finally decided to intervene. **"That will be all. Lieutenant."**

Bates walked away while Deeks coughed behind him. He looked at Whiting and demanded **"I expect to be kept in the loop."** as he walked out the door.

Whiting shut the door and turned back to Deeks, smirking. **"Well. Looks like you got enemies everywhere you go, Detective Deeks."**

Deeks huffed out a sigh. "It's a God given talent. I don't like to talk about it." He heard a laugh in his ear and smiled at Whiting. He was finally able to straighten up and slowly walked back to the table, sitting in the chair gingerly.

"Mr. Deeks. We are going to look into why Detective Rivera was taken off this case. It seems strange that she put in all that work and was not allowed to follow through. We'll also be looking into Detective Whiting." said Hetty. Tap.

Whiting looked at him. "Let's talk about why you're here."

"Let's."

"First off, your alibi recanted her story. Said you weren't with her all night after all. That you called her at 3 AM and asked to come over. That you asked her to lie for you and say you were there all night and she did so." Whiting looked at him with a raised eyebrow. Deeks already knew this from what Eric had told him but didn't let on. He pasted a look of surprise on his face.

"I'm not sure why Stephanie recanted but it was the truth. I was there all night. I never called her at 3 AM. Check my phone records."

"Unfortunately, the phone company only keeps those records for seven years. We were unable to prove or disprove you called her."

"Isn't it convenient, then, that this has come up again _eight_ years later? I bet a tech savvy person would be able to pull those records up even if the phone company says they're gone. I've had the same number all these years, bet it would be easy."

"On it!" Eric said quietly in his ear.

"No, Detective, not convenient at all. I don't want to believe you killed one of our own but all the evidence is pointing at you."

"So you have my alibi recanting. Is that all? Is that why I was pulled off the streets and paraded through here in cuffs, accused of murder?"

"Of course it's not all there is. Detective Rivera was most thorough. In going through some cold cases, Detective Boyle's murder caught her attention. She read through the case file and saw that you were a person of interest. She'd heard about you, how so many of the LAPD shields dislike you. She started to think all those people couldn't be wrong. There must be something about you." She paused.

"You know, you are almost a legend in Internal Affairs, having exposed John Quinn as a mole. A cop that doesn't seem to have an issue with turning other cops in IA. Anyway, she looked back through all the evidence, had all of it rechecked. She talked to your alibi and got her to tell the truth after so many years. She had Boyle's gun rechecked for fingerprints. Imagine her surprise when yours was found on one of the bullets. It had never been printed before."

Deeks looked at her in shock, Eric had not told him this. "I never touched Boyle's gun and certainly wouldn't have touched the bullets. I'm being framed for this."

He could hear frantic typing over the comms. Then Eric "It's not in the file Deeks. I don't know where she's getting this information or why it was kept out of the official case file!"

"Framed?" Whiting laughed. "You really don't expect me to buy that do you?"

"It's the truth." Deeks replied quietly.

The next hour was spent with Whiting saying the same things over and over, trying to get him to admit that he had murdered his ex-partner with him refusing to do so. He was surprised at her tactics. She seemed almost uninterested in the whole thing. She didn't try to connect with him on any level. Something he would've done in order to gain the suspects trust. He started to wonder what happened to Rivera and what the deal was with Whiting. When the woman in question realized she had lost Deeks's attention, she decided to end this interrogation. She would have him stuck back in his cell. Maybe make sure that the fact he was a cop was leaked to the others in his cell block. She had her orders.


	3. Chapter 3

A/N – the bold dialogue is from the trailer for Internal Affairs. The wait is killing me!

Nope, still don't own them, even checked under the bed this time.

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Chapter 3

Hetty sat at her desk, staring into space. This thing with Detective Deeks was occupying most of her mind and the situation was rapidly getting out of hand. It was time to end this. She looked up when Callen approached her desk. "I understand you and the rest of your team went to see Mr. Deeks."

"We did. At least Kensi and I saw him. He wouldn't even talk to Sam. I don't know what's going on in his head."

"Maybe he expected a little more support from his team mates?"

"What's that supposed to mean? We went down there as soon as we heard. Kensi is beside herself."

"From what Mr. Deeks told me, you and Kensi have led him to believe that you think he's guilty."

Callen paused, not sure how to respond.

"Really, Mr. Callen? How many years have you known Mr. Deeks? Do you really think him capable of cold blooded murder?"

"Maybe it wasn't cold blooded. Maybe it was self-defense or in defense of someone else. LAPD wouldn't just arrest him without evidence."

"Then why would he cover it up? And I believe the FBI once arrested _your_ partner for murder. Miss. Blye was arrested by this very organization for _multiple_ murders. You stood behind both of them. Why not him?"

Callen sighed, not really sure himself why he hadn't immediately reassured Deeks that he thought he was innocent. He couldn't speak for Kensi. He did know that Sam had given him an earful. The big guy firmly believed that Deeks had nothing to do with this and was being framed somehow. Callen was concerned that Sam's judgment was clouded by his own false arrest for murder as well as his still feeling like he owed Deeks after the Sidorov abduction.

Hetty shook her head and said **"Get Detective Deeks out of this mess!"**

Again Callen hesitated and then said **"What if we don't like what we find?"**

Hetty decided to update her team leader on exactly what had been transpiring since her detective's arrest. "I visited Mr. Deeks myself and gave him an earwig and button camera. Mr. Beale and Miss. Jones have been monitoring his situation. Detective Rivera has mysteriously been taken off the case and a Detective Whiting has taken over. Mr. Deeks alibi has recanted her statement but Mr. Beale found a large deposit made to her account around the same time that the investigation heated up. A deposit from an old friend of ours by the name of Clarence Fisk. Remember him? This Detective Whiting is also claiming that they found Mr. Deeks's fingerprint on a bullet inside Detective Boyle's gun but Mr. Beale can find no mention of it in the case file. Interesting that it suddenly showed up after all this time. We are currently looking into both detectives."

She paused, taking a moment to decide if she wished to inform Mr. Callen about the beating Mr. Deeks had taken. Her decision was made when Callen asked **"Anything else you want to tell us before we dive into this?"**

" **The truth doesn't take sides. Only we do that."** Hetty took a deep breath and sighed. "Mr. Deeks was assaulted by the deceased man's partner while in an interview with this Whiting person. She made no effort to intervene. It wasn't until Lt. Bates showed up to pull the man off Mr. Deeks, that she take any steps and then it was nothing more than telling him to control his man. Lt. Bates, himself, appears to believe the charges against Mr. Deeks. We need to take sides Mr. Callen. I know which side I am on. Do you?"

Callen looked at her and nodded, shaken that Deeks had been attacked while in police custody. "How is he?" he asked quietly.

"He appears to have shrugged it off. He was being his regular cheeky self with both the detective and his lieutenant. He actually made a comment on the man's mustache and asked him if he was undercover again in gay porn. He frustrated Whiting to the point that she terminated the interview."

Callen had to laugh. This was the Deeks he knew. "I'll get Kensi and Sam and we _will_ figure this out."

"Thank you, Mr. Callen."

Callen went to find his team. Sam was in the gym, whaling on the heavy bag. He knew this was where Sam went when he was worried or upset. Right now he figured his partner was both. "Sam? Come on, we have things to do. We need to figure out how to get Deeks out of this."

"What changed your mind? I thought you were convinced he was guilty?"

"Not convinced, no. Just more…cautious."

"Bull. You believed it and now you've changed your mind. What did Hetty say to you?"

Callen sighed, wishing once again that his partner didn't know him so well. "There are some inconsistencies in what Deeks is being told and what's in the case file that Eric hacked into. Also, the detective running the investigation has changed with no explanation. Eric and Nell are looking into both of them. We need to go talk to this woman who was Deeks's alibi. See if we can get her to admit that she changed her story after eight years because she was paid to. By Clarence Fisk no less. Hetty just told me Fisk deposited a large payment to her account. Then we need to track down the original detective and see if we can get her take on why she was removed from the case."

Sam nodded and started removing his gloves. Callen knew he had to tell him about the attack. He would be furious if he found out later that it had been kept from him. "Sam. There's something else you should know."

"What, G?"

"Deeks was attacked during the interview. He's fine but it has both Hetty and me concerned for his safety there." Unbeknownst to him, Kensi had entered the gym. She overheard the last part and stormed over to Callen.

"What happened to him? Who attacked him? Are you sure he's okay?"

"He's fine, Kensi. Hetty has eyes and ears on him."

Both Sam and Kensi looked at him in shock. "What?" they both said.

"Really, G? You didn't think that was important to tell me, to tell us?" asked Sam.

"Truthfully, I kind of forgot."

Sam just shook his head and went to get changed. Kensi turned to Callen and said "We need to get him out of there. Right now! He isn't safe."

"We're going to Kens. We need to focus now on figuring out what's going on. When Sam comes back, I want all of us up in ops so that we can get up to speed on what the wonder twins have found and come up with a plan of attack." He paused. "Do you think he's guilty?"

"What? No! I mean, maybe at first I was so surprised that I might have wondered why he did it but now that I've had time to think it over, I know there's no way that he would ever do something like that."

"Hetty says Deeks believes both of us think he's guilty. I wonder if that's why he shut down on us. Why he wouldn't talk to Sam at all. Tell me exactly what you two said when you talked to him."

Kensi closed her eyes and related their conversation word for word until she got to the part where she asked him why he did it. When she realized how she had worded it, how it sounded even to her own ears as she repeated it, she felt sick. She opened her eyes and looked at him. "What did you say to him?"

Callen frowned thinking back over their conversation. He sighed when he remembered asking Deeks if he was worried about what _else_ he thought LAPD might have on him. He repeated the conversation to Kensi and then said "He said something weird. He said I asked him the wrong question and called me Agent Callen."

"He told me the same thing, that I'd asked the wrong question. At the time I thought he meant I should be asking him for information on the case. I think he meant we were wrong to doubt him. Oh God, if he really thinks we believe the charges against him are true, it'll crush him. We need to go talk to him! Let him know that we know he's innocent. That we're going to get him out."

"We can tell him over the comms from up in ops. We need to spend our time on other things right now, we can't afford to waste it driving over there and waiting for them to decide whether or not they'll even let us in to see him."

"Then let's go." Kensi ran out of the gym and up to ops. She refused to look into the bullpen and see her partner's empty desk. She burst into the room, startling Eric and Nell. "What do we have? Do you have Deeks online? Can he hear us?" Eric and Nell both frowned at her. They knew that Hetty and Granger, as well as themselves, believed in Deeks's innocence. That only left Kensi, Sam and/or Callen as the ones Deeks thought believed him guilty. Eric wasn't about to forget about that quickly. He finally nodded and pointed to the Bluetooth receiver in his ear.

"Let me talk to him!" Kensi reached out to pull the receiver out of Eric's ear. He backed away from her, freaked out by her intensity.

"Miss. Blye. You need to calm down before talking to Mr. Deeks. He can't respond and I don't want you upsetting him to the point where he reveals the presence of the earwig." Hetty had entered ops unseen and caught her junior agent's attempt to grab the piece from the analyst's ear.

Kensi opened her mouth to argue when Sam said "She's right Kens. We all need to take a deep breath and be calm when we talk to him." He and Callen had come through the door right on Hetty's heels. Sam reached her and put an arm around her shoulders. She leaned into him and nodded. They looked up at the big screen to see what Deeks was seeing. She shuddered at the sight. The inconsequential thought went through her mind that Deeks didn't like to pee in public. How the hell was he going to deal with that?

"Mr. Beale. Can you put the comms on speaker?" Eric made the necessary adjustment and Hetty said "Mr. Deeks. You are on speaker. Your team is here. Can you hear us?" Tap. Hetty motioned to Kensi.

"Deeks? I need you to know that I don't believe you're guilty. I was taken by surprise and I didn't think before asking you why you did it. I know you didn't. I know you couldn't." There was no response. Kensi looked at Callen.

He cleared his throat and said "Look. Deeks. I'm sorry for what I said. We all know you didn't do this. We're going to do everything we can to get you out there as quickly as possible. You just need to hang in and watch your back. Can you do that?" Again, no response.

Eric frowned and clicked some keys on his computer. "Um guys, he turned off the earwig."

Kensi's heart sank. "Can you tell when?"

"No. But he responded to Hetty when she asked if he could hear you, so it had to be right after that. The camera is still up and running though." They all turned to watch the screen and realized why he had turned it off. He was being cuffed and taken from his cell.

"He must have turned it off so he wouldn't be distracted by everyone talking. Probably figured he'd give something away." said Sam. Kensi was relieved, for a moment she thought Deeks had turned off the earwig to avoid listening to them. She needed to do something, anything to get him out of there.

"Mr. Beale, continue monitoring Mr. Deeks and recording everything that happens. The rest of you, we need to come up with a plan."

Callen nodded. "Nell, do you have the address on the woman who was Deeks's alibi?"

"Yup. Just sent the address for Stephanie Wheeler to your smart phones. I also sent the address for Detective Rivera. We haven't found anything on her yet. We're still working on it."

"Sam and I will go talk to Stephanie Wheeler and then on to Rivera. Kensi, you need to go to your place and start looking through Deeks's computer. See if there's anything on there that can help us. See if he took notes, made any kind of document of the things he thought IA could have on him."

"What? No! I can't do that, that's an invasion of his privacy!"

"Kensi, we did it with your laptop when you were arrested during the Claremont case. Deeks was the one who figured out your password. He did it because he knew you were innocent and wanted to help you. We need to do the same for him!"

Kensi was stunned, not sure how she felt about the guys digging around in her apartment and through her computer. And just how did Deeks know her password? She thought about it and realized he knew her well enough, even then, to guess it correctly. She nodded when she gave in to the fact that this was something she would have to do.

Granger stepped through the doors, having finally arrived back from Washington. He had gotten on the earliest plane he could when Hetty called to let him know IA had finally made their move. There was no way in hell he wasn't going to be involved in exonerating the annoying detective. He told himself it was just so that he could hold it over him later; not wanting to admit that the detective had wormed his way around the tough armor Granger surrounded himself with. He found himself smiling more since he had made the move to L.A. and, deep down; he knew it wasn't the weather.

"What can I do to help?" he asked.

"Owen? Good, you're back. Perhaps you and I can talk to Detective Rivera instead of Mr. Callen and Mr. Hanna."

"Let's go then." He turned and went out as quickly as he had come in.

Sam and Callen exchanged looks. "Did Granger just drop everything to come running back to L.A. to help out Deeks?" asked Sam.

"You know, Sam, I think he just might have. Hetty?" Callen turned to Hetty to find she had already left. The little ninja came and went like a ghost. "Let's go partner. Kensi, are you going to be okay?"

Kensi nodded hesitantly. She really didn't want to go searching through his laptop but knew it had to be done. She followed silently in her team mate's wake, wishing this day would just be over. She didn't think she'd driven home so slowly in her entire life. She kept hoping that the call would come to tell her he was out, that the charges were dropped, before she had to face what she was about to do. Unfortunately, it didn't happen. She pulled up outside their apartment. Yes, she thought about it as theirs even though she still had her own. She just never stayed there much anymore.

She opened the door and the first thing she saw was the laptop sitting on the dining room table where he'd left it. She sighed and walked up to it, running her finger over the top where he'd placed a decal of a surfboard. She opened the top and booted it up. The password prompt came up and she froze. Would she be able to figure his out the way he had hers? Did she know him as well as he did her? She was starting to think she didn't. She thought of all the cheesy nicknames he called her, wondering if one of them was his password. She sat down and stared at the screen. Suddenly she had a thought and entered the words. The laptop accepted it. Sunshine&Gunpowder. Somehow it made her feel better.

She started by looking at the files he had last viewed, something she had learned from the wonder twins. There was a document on finances, definitely not going to go there. They rarely talked about money. Finally she found a file simply called IA. Before she could open it another file caught her eye. It was a video file and was named Kensi. She hovered the mouse over it, wondering if she dared open it. What she would find if she did. Her finger clicked on the mouse before she finished deciding and the file opened. His face filled the monitor. She reached out and stroked it, then hit the play button.

"Kensi, if you're seeing this it means you're going through my laptop either because IA has arrested me or I'm dead, probably due to their investigation. I'm pretty sure I know why they're after me. I told you the story about my first partner and how he died. What I didn't tell you was that I was their number one suspect until my alibi panned out. I'm sorry for that. I don't know why I feel it necessary to keep some things from you but I do know that I always want you to see the best of me. That time was not the best. If they're after me for this, then something happened to my alibi and that would be Stephanie Wheeler. I haven't been able to reach her to find out what's going on. I'm worried about her. We haven't talked in years but she was a good person. See if you can find her, make sure she's safe." He paused for breath. Kensi took a moment to think how like Deeks it was, he was up to his neck in hot water and he was worried about a woman he hadn't seen in years. She wondered how he felt now that he knew the woman had taken money to change her story. She focused back on the screen when he began to talk again.

"You have to know I didn't do it. I would never kill someone in cold blood like that. What was done to Frank was brutal and even he didn't deserve it. Jail time, maybe, but not to be shot with your own gun in a cheap motel, high on drugs. No one deserves to go out like that. If this is the case that IA is trying to pin on me, then someone is trying to frame me. I was nowhere near that hotel that night. I didn't actually hate Frank as much as others assumed. Yes, it led to no one wanting to work with me but it helped me to find something that I was good at. And I was. I was good at undercover assignments. My record would stand with just about anyone else's and that's something I'm proud of. I love you and I hope you can trust me enough to have faith in me. To believe in me. It's the only thing that will get me through this. I love you Kensi Marie Blye, now and forever."

The screen went black as the video ended. Kensi blew out the breath she was holding, closed her eyes and bowed her head.

~,~,~,~

A/N #whatever – the last scene in the trailer was Kensi in front of a laptop, obviously not at work. We have no idea what she was looking at but she closes her eyes and bows her head, looking so sad. This is simply my take on it.


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

Sam and Callen pulled up to the address for Stephanie that Eric had sent them. Getting out of the car, they noticed that the house was neat but somewhat run down. There were kid's bikes in the yard. They walked up to the front door and Sam knocked. A tall, pretty brunette answered the door. The two men exchanged glances. Deeks definitely had a type.

Callen asked. "Stephanie Wheeler?"

The woman hesitated and then answered "It's Stephanie Harper now. How can I help you?"

Both men held up their badges. Callen said "Agents Callen and Hanna, NCIS. Can you we speak with you?"

"What's NCIS?"

"We're federal agents." Sam replied.

"What do you want with me?"

Sam answered "We're investigating the murder of Detective Francis Boyle. They arrested a man for his murder yesterday and you were his original alibi. You've since changed your story but he insists it was the truth."

Every bit of blood drained out of her face. "They arrested Marty?"

"Yes ma'am." Sam replied.

Stephanie looked up and down the street. "Come in, quickly." Frowning, the two agents complied. Stephanie searched the street again and closed the door behind them.

"I was so afraid something like this would happen." She whispered, wringing her hands.

"Then why did you change your story? Was it the payoff Clarence Fisk gave you? We know about the 50 thousand he put into your account. Do you want to explain that?" Callen grilled her.

"I didn't want the money! When that lawyer came to see me and asked if I was sure about when Marty was with me, I said of course. She wouldn't let it go. Then she offered me the money to lie. I said no, even though it would have come in handy. My husband died two years ago leaving me with a lot of debt and I'm raising our two boys on my own. He didn't have much life insurance and I can barely keep the house. Still, there was no way I was going to lie and put Marty in danger. He's a good guy."

"So why did you?" asked Sam gently.

"She threatened my children. I'd already lost my husband; I wasn't going to let anything happen to my kids. She told me to take the money and when a detective from Internal Affairs showed up to talk to me about Marty's alibi, I was to pretend it had bothered me to lie all these years. I was to tell the detective that Marty hadn't come by until 3 in the morning and that he had asked me to lie for him, to say that he was with me all night but that he hadn't been. I told her again that he had been, that I wouldn't lie and that I would report her to the police. She told me the man she worked for was very powerful and if I didn't want something to happen to Chris or Jimmy, then I'd better cooperate. She also said if I went to the cops, he'd know. That he had people inside LAPD who would let him know as soon as I did."

She hung her head and said "So I did it. I let them make the deposit and I lied to the woman who showed up from Internal Affairs. I haven't touched the money, I swear! I want nothing to do with it!" She looked up at Sam, pleading with her eyes for him to understand.

"Do you remember the lawyer's name?" he asked.

"Monica something or other."

"Monica Lee?"

"Yes, yes, that was her name. Do you know her?"

"We've had dealings with her in the past. She isn't a lawyer anymore. She was disbarred after our last run in."

"What's her connection to Marty? Why would someone want him arrested for that detective's murder?"

"That's what we're trying to find out. Would you be willing to come in and make a statement that Deeks really was with you that night and why you recanted?"

She hesitated, looking towards the backyard where she could see her boys on the swing set. She looked back at the two of them and said "They're only four and six. I can't take any chances with them. They're all I have left of Larry. They're my world."

Sam reached out and touched her arm. "I can understand that Stephanie, I have two kids of my own and I would do anything for them. We can take you into protective custody, you and your boys. If you go back to your original statement that Deeks was with you all night and testify against Lee, we'll get you into witness protection. You can start a new life somewhere else. We'll help set you up in a nice home, with a good job. Your debts will be paid. You'll be starting fresh."

Stephanie searched his face, looking for a lie but didn't find one. "You can do that?"

"Yes. Let us help you. You help Marty."

"When would we go? I've been so worried that someone is watching me, watching us. I won't even let the kids play out front without me anymore. If they saw you flash your badges, they could be letting that man know that I'm talking to someone from law enforcement right now. They could come and hurt one of my boys the minute you left."

"We'd take you right now. Take nothing but a few clothes and toys for the boys, enough to last a couple of days. We'll take care of packing up your house and getting everything to your new location. There's one thing though. You can't tell anyone where you're going. No friends, no family."

"I understand. It won't be a problem. I'm an only child and my mom and dad are both dead. Larry's family cut him out of their lives long before I even met him. I'm not close to anyone else in my family. I doubt they'll notice that I'm gone. The few friends I have won't miss me. Are you sure you can protect us?"

"Yes, we can. Are you willing?"

"Yes, it would be a relief. The guilt has been weighing on me. What about the money in my account? I don't want it. What happens to it?"

"It becomes evidence against Fisk and Lee. Get your things together and we'll take you to a safe house. You'll be guarded around the clock until it comes time to testify, if it even comes to that. Once everything is over, we'll relocate you."

"Thank you!" Stephanie turned to pack up some things to get them through the next few days. She turned back and asked "Will you tell Marty why I lied? Will you let him know that it was never about him? That it was only to keep my children safe? I want him to know that I would never have done this to him voluntarily."

Sam smiled and said "We'll be sure he knows. I know Deeks, he won't blame you. He'll be glad that you took the steps you needed to in order to protect your kids."

She smiled sadly at him. "Marty always loved kids. They gravitated to him everywhere we went." She looked out into the yard again. "I think my boys would have liked him." They could hear the wistfulness in her voice and the two again exchanged glances. It looked like the woman still had some feelings for their scruffy detective.

While they waited for her to pack for herself and the boys, Callen called into ops.

"Callen?" Eric answered the phone.

"Hey Eric. Tell Hetty and Granger that we're at Stephanie's house and that she was threatened into changing her story. She's agreed to cooperate and state that she _was_ with Deeks that night. Also, it was Monica Lee that did the threatening. Stephanie has agreed to testify against her. We're taking her into protective custody now and will take her and her kids to the safe house in Santa Monica. Have two agents meet us there for the protective detail. If this is Fisk, he's not above killing this family."

"On it! Oh, and Callen? Monica Lee visited Deeks right after he was arrested! She got in to see him by claiming to be her lawyer. We have their conversation on video. She didn't let anything slip about Fisk being behind this. Just said she wanted to see Deeks down and out."

"Interesting."

"And there's something else! The fingerprint has suddenly appeared in the case file and the bullet in the evidence list. In addition, there's been a new notation about Deeks's DNA being found at the scene. If we hadn't gotten into the LAPD database before they decided to give us access, we would never have known that that info hadn't been there right along!"

"This just keeps getting better and better! Well, one good thing, it pretty much shows someone is trying to frame Deeks for this murder. Now we just need to figure out who's behind this, get proof and get him the hell out of there. Has he turned his earwig back on yet?"

"Yeah, he's in an interrogation room with Detective Whiting again."

"Good. Have you heard anything from Hetty and Granger? Have they talked to Rivera yet?"

"No, haven't heard anything yet but I'll keep you posted. I'll contact them now to update them on Stephanie and the new items that have suddenly shown up in his file."

"Thanks Eric! We'll be in touch."

Callen turned back and filled Sam in on the conversation he had just had. They both turned when Stephanie reappeared, carrying a duffle bag and two back packs. They took everything from her and she went out to get the kids. They seemed to think it was a big adventure, fascinated by the very large federal agent in their living room, asking to see their badges, to see their guns. Neither kid stopped talking. Sam shook his head, if he didn't know better; he would think both these kids were Deeks's.

They finally ushered them from the house, Sam going first and making sure it was clear. Callen would drive the Harper's car and Sam would follow in the Challenger. Stephanie made short work of getting both boys into their car seats and they were ready. No one appeared to be following them but Callen still drove a roundabout route, both agents looking for tails but not finding any. They both sighed in relief when they reached the safe house without incident. They handed the small family over to the two agents who were waiting on them. Both were known to Sam and Callen and they knew they were leaving the Harpers in good hands.

They said their goodbyes and had turned to leave when Stephanie asked. "How is Marty? Before this happened, was he happy? Does he still surf? He always threatened to teach me but I'm afraid of the water. He swam like a fish." The wistfulness was back.

Sam smiled and said. "He's very happy, or at least he was until yesterday. He's involved with a wonderful woman who loves him very much. And yes, he still surfs, sometimes when he shouldn't!"

She smiled back at him and asked one final question. "Do you think I could see him before going into witness protection? I'd like to apologize in person and…I'd like to introduce him to my boys."

Neither man was sure what to say. Callen finally replied. "It's not against the rules as he's law enforcement and involved in the case. The decision, ultimately, would need to be his."

"I understand. Thank you for everything!" Stephanie stood in the doorway, two armed men behind her and watched the two federal agents who had just turned her life upside down, drive away. When they were gone, she turned back into the house to deal with two very excited little boys who wanted to investigate every inch of their temporary home. Watching them, she felt hope for the first time in a long time. They would get through this and they would have a new life. A life where her boys would not be threatened or used against her. She smiled and asked "Who wants lunch?"

~,~,~,~

A/N – this is a shorter chapter than the others but the next scene is going to be Hetty and Granger talking to Rivera and that would have made this too long.

A/N2 – I just saw a video on the E! website that shows more of the interrogation with Whiting. I incorporated some of what I learned from that into this but I left the interrogation in two parts. Didn't want to rewrite everything!


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

Granger stopped the car in front of the address they had for Detective Rivera and turned to Hetty. It had been a long time since they had worked a case together and yet it felt like yesterday. There were still a lot of issues between them but it seemed like they were getting past them. He found he liked this Henrietta. She still had her secrets, still moved her people around like pieces on a chess board or, like she had once told Callen, she moved the board. This Henrietta seemed more human than he could ever remember. He still thought Afghanistan and the White Ghost debacle had shaken her more than she would ever admit. She had lost the trust of some of her agents over that but had slowly regained it over time. Now she seemed more careful with them. He also knew Deeks's predicament was eating at her. The detective liked to joke that he was her favorite but there were times, like now, when it seemed like there was more than a smidgen of truth to it. The old Henrietta would never have stood for the current relationship between Deeks and Blye. He had been against it at first but had withheld judgment. So far, his initial concerns appeared unwarranted. This case, however, could change that.

He asked "Are you ready?"

Hetty nodded just as her cell phone rang. She looked down and then back to him. "It's Mr. Beale."

"Well, let's hear what the boy wonder has to say." Hetty smiled at his unconscious use of the nickname for their brilliant but socially inept technical analyst.

"Mr. Beale?"

"Hetty, I just heard from Callen. Stephanie Wheeler changed her statement because her kids were threatened by Monica Lee. He's pretty sure it was on behalf of Clarence Fisk. She's agreed to return to her original statement and testify against Lee in exchange for protective custody until the trial and witness protection after."

"That's excellent news Mr. Beale!"

"There's more. This news is not so good. New evidence has shown up in the case file and evidence log. Both the fingerprinted bullet we knew about and now DNA from the crime scene that matches Deeks."

Hetty frowned. "DNA evidence?"

"Yeah but that's all I know so far."

"And Mr. Deeks?"

"His earwig is back online but I haven't told him any of this. Not sure what I should tell him."

"When you feel the time is right, make sure he knows everything you've just told me."

"Will do. How's it going with Rivera?"

"We just got here. Her car is in the driveway so it would appear that she's at home. I'll update you after we speak with her. Thank you Mr. Beale."

"You're welcome Hetty." He said as he disconnected the call.

Hetty sat and thought for a moment. One step forward, two steps back. Mr. Deeks's alibi was back in play but now there was this DNA and fingerprint evidence. The fact that it hadn't been in the file before today was not something they could share. After all, Mr. Beale had hacked into the LAPD database, on numerous occasions. Admitting that would irrevocably damage their relationship with the police department. She sighed and turned to fill Granger in on the details of her conversation with ops.

Granger shook his head when Hetty told him everything. "Someone really has it in for Deeks. They've gone to an awful lot of trouble."

"Yes, and I want to know why. Shall we?"

They both exited the car and made their way to Rivera's front door. Granger rang the bell. Rivera opened it moments later, obviously dressed to go to work. She recognized both of them instantly from her surveillance of Detective Deeks. "To what do I owe the honor of a visit from NCIS?" knowing full well why they were there.

Hetty replied "We wanted to talk to you about the case against Mr. Deeks. We're curious as to why you were taken off it and replaced with Detective Whiting."

"When you find out, let me know." Rivera replied bitterly.

Granger and Hetty exchanged looks. This was an interesting turn of events. Hetty asked "May we come in?"

Rivera looked at her watch. She had about 20 minutes before she had to leave for her shift. She moved away from the door and waved them in, her curiosity piqued. They entered a very nicely decorated living room. She motioned them to take a seat on the couch that faced the front window.

"Can I get you anything? Coffee, tea, water?" She wasn't sure why she was playing hostess to these two. She chuckled a little, blaming her mother and the way she was brought up.

Hetty responded politely "Thank you, but no." Granger just shook his head as they took the seats she had indicated.

Rivera sat in an easy chair facing them. "So, what is it that you want to know?"

Granger took the lead. "Our sources told us that you honed in on the Francis Boyle cold case. Why?"

Rivera looked at him blankly. "I didn't hone in on it, I was pushed onto it."

"By who?" asked Hetty.

"Whiting."

"Interesting. Why were you taken off the case after doing all the work?" asked Granger.

"Damned if I know. The case was going nowhere and Whiting pulled me off it. She has seniority over me and had the right to do so. She told me to move on to something else. I thought that was the end of the investigation." She sighed. "I guess she was right to pull me off. I heard they arrested Deeks yesterday. She must have found something I missed."

Hetty's eyebrows rose. "Again, our sources told us that _you_ found a fingerprint belonging to Mr. Deeks on a bullet inside Boyle's service weapon."

The look of shock on Rivera's face raised the hopes of the two facing her. "What? What bullet? There were no bullets in the gun. Whoever killed him emptied the whole clip into him. Your source is wrong, dead wrong."

Granger was about to reply when he saw movement through the front window. "Gun! Get down!" He pulled Hetty to the floor and Rivera hit the floor at about the same time. A hail of bullets shattered the window, peppering the wall behind them. When it stopped, he looked at Hetty to find she already had her weapon out. He turned to Rivera. "Do you have your service weapon on you?"

"No. It's in the gun safe. I would've taken it out just before I left for work."

Granger heard footsteps on the front steps. "We don't have time for you to go get it. They'll be inside before you make it halfway out of this room." He reached down and pulled his backup weapon out of his ankle holster and handed it to her. "Here, take this." She grabbed it and faced the front door. Hetty watched the doorway to the kitchen and Granger swung back and forth between the two.

The men came in with no fanfare, two through the front door and one through the kitchen. The three on the floor began firing immediately. Rivera took down one of the men at the front door and the other dove back outside. Hetty took out the man behind them. They waited but there was no more movement. Granger began to crawl to the window and barely avoided being hit by a bullet shot through the broken window. He rolled back to the safety behind the arm chairs and Hetty watched for any chance to take out the remaining shooter. When he moved into view to get a better bead on them, she shot him in the head. They waited again, this time the only sound they heard was that of a car peeling away from the house. It would appear that they had survived once again.

Granger got up cautiously and moved to the men at the front as Hetty moved to the one in the kitchen doorway. They both checked for pulses and confirmed that all three were dead. Together they cautiously moved to the front door, confirming that there were no more shooters waiting for them to lower their guard. All they saw were the neighbors coming out of their homes to see what was going on. They turned back to look at Rivera who was staring at the damage to her home in dismay.

"What the hell just happened? What did you bring down on me?"

"Miss. Rivera, I don't believe we brought this down on you. It is my firm belief that they were after you, not us."

"Me? Why the hell would anyone be after me?"

"We've already found out that Stephanie Wheeler recanted her statement about Mr. Deeks's whereabouts that night after her children were threatened. Based on what you just told Assistant Director Granger and me, I believe that _you_ are a loose end. You would be the one person most familiar with the evidence in this case and would be the only one able to point out any discrepancies. In order for the evidence to stand as it is now, you can't be allowed to question any of it. If the bullet didn't exist until after you were taken off the case, then someone, someone in LAPD, added it to the evidence log."

Rivera's mouth dropped open and she looked around at the carnage surrounding her once again, trying to wrap her mind around this. She was Internal Affairs, she couldn't remember the last time she was involved in a firefight. The idea of a dirty cop in LAPD planting evidence, however, was more in her wheelhouse. She looked at the two feds facing her and made her decision. Whoever did this was not going to get away with it.

"I think one of the reasons I was taken off the case was that I was coming to believe Detective Deeks was innocent of the murder of his ex-partner. That was a conclusion I shared with Whiting. It wasn't too long after that that I was pulled off it. Whiting is cold and not easy to get to know, I had no idea what her reasons were. She didn't share and I couldn't even begin to guess." She paused and thought about her next steps. "I can go back and pull the evidence again, take a look through it and see if I can figure out how the new stuff got in there.'

Hetty said "While I would like nothing more, Detective Rivera, I feel that would put you in more danger. At this point, I think it would best if you allowed NCIS to put you under protective custody and move you to a safe house. We also need you to make a statement about exactly what you knew was booked into evidence when you started this case."

Rivera didn't know how to respond. She felt like it was the coward's way out but she really didn't want to die and she knew that NCIS was very capable. She had seen that during the months she had been looking into Deeks. She finally nodded her head and said "I'll pack a few things to take with me. I'll need to inform my boss that I'll be out for a few days. What do I tell him?"

Hetty replied "Let us take care of that for you. Go pack. We should be out of here before the police arrive as they surely will. I'm certain someone will have called 911 by now. At this point, we're not sure who to trust at LAPD."

She nodded and left the room. Granger asked Hetty "Where are you going to stash her? We're building up quite a cache of protected witnesses."

Hetty cocked her head and thought. "What would you think of putting her in the boat shed? The upstairs room is quite comfortable and I think it would open Miss. Rivera eyes further to see how Mr. Deeks's team feels about him. We can protect her there and let her feel like part of the investigation into who just tried to kill her. I think, otherwise, she will chafe at her exclusion and do something rash that could lead to her death."

"I'll bow to your greater experience with people who do rash things, exposing themselves to danger."

Hetty knew Granger was talking about Mr. Callen. The man definitely had a penchant for going rogue, the last time leading her to taser him. Not that it had worked. She shook her head and had to smile. Her agents were a unique group of people but they were good at their jobs. She wondered how Miss. Blye was going to react to the presence of the detective who had seemed so hell bent on proving her partner was a dirty cop. The next few days should be interesting.

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A/N – so what do you think? Have I gone down a rat hole from which I will never return?


	6. Chapter 6

A/N – contains dialogue from a clip I found on the E! website in bold. While they are feeding my addiction, I really wish CBS wouldn't put so many clips out there; it takes away from the suspense of the episode!

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Chapter 6

Deeks turned off his earwig when he saw Northam heading his way with the guard. He couldn't afford to be distracted by the voices in his ear. Truthfully, he was glad for the intervention. He wasn't sure what his team would've said to him and he didn't want to hear any more questions about why he murdered someone or what else LAPD might have on him. The only voices he wanted to hear right now, were the ones that had stood behind him from the beginning. Nell, Eric, Hetty, hell, even Granger would be okay. Hearing Kensi questioning him again would be the final straw and he needed to focus.

The guard opened the door and Northam held up the cuffs. "Come on. Detective Whiting wants to talk to you again." Deeks put his hands together in front of him and held them out. Northam cuffed him and then looked at him carefully. He frowned at the bruises that were forming on Deeks's face and neck. The ones on his neck in the shape of a hand print. While he thought Deeks was guilty and deserved to go to jail, he was not okay with a suspect being assaulted by a cop while in custody, even one suspected of being a cop killer. "You need anything for those bruises?"

Deeks looked at him suspiciously. "No, why would you even bother to ask?"

"Never mind, let's go." He pushed Deeks ahead of him, this time gentler than the last. He wasn't going to add to the situation.

He led Deeks to the interrogation room where Detective Whiting was already sitting at the table. A cup of coffee sat in front of the seat Deeks was led to. He held his hands up for the cuffs to be removed. When Northam moved to undo them, Whiting barked out "Leave them." He nodded and left the room.

Deeks picked up the coffee and took a swig, making sure to make exaggerated slurping noises. **"Gah!"**

" **Really? That all you got left Deeks? You're about as defiant as my 8 year old.**

Deeks looked at Whiting and decided he was going to show her defiant. See if he could frustrate her enough to get information that Eric could use. He reached up to push the hair out his eyes, turning on the earwig while doing so.

"Thank God! Glad to have you back Deeks!" He had already put his hands back on the table but he knew Eric was watching the feed. He tapped his finger once.

"Shaggy! Don't do that again!" He smiled a bit at the sound of Nell's voice. Tap. He kept his attention on the woman in front of him as he attempted to find her buttons.

" **Wow! You have kids? Pssh. Did** _ **not**_ **see that coming mommy dearest. Hey, ah, quick question? Are we sure this coffee was made** _ **this**_ **week?** He wouldn't give her the satisfaction of knowing that the sound he'd made when he'd first swallowed had more to do with the pain in his throat than the fact that the coffee really was awful. It was coffee, that's all he needed. He'd had worse.

" **We found new DNA evidence that places you in the hotel room where Boyle was killed."**

His heart skipped a beat. He knew why it was there but how to prove it? **"Well, that would make sense as I stayed there for a week while my house was being tented."**

"On it, we'll pull the records from the hotel to show when you were there." Tap.

Whiting was becoming frustrated with him. **"We can play this however you want but you're not going anywhere until you tell me why you killed Boyle!"**

His answer was immediate and truthful. **"I didn't."**

" **Then who did?"**

He poked at her some more. **"Not my case. I'm so confused by this. Isn't it** _ **your**_ **department's job to find the killer?"**

Her response was also immediate but a lot less truthful. **"We did. And he's sitting right across from me!"**

" **Wow! Buzz! Wrong answer! Would you like to try Other Terrible Theories for a thousand?"** He nonchalantly took another sip of his coffee and heard a soft chuckle in his ear. Eric appreciated his humor while it would appear Whiting did not.

Her voice betrayed her frustration. **"If you didn't kill Boyle, who did? Give me a name!"**

He looked at her blankly. He had a strong suspicion about who'd killed Boyle. Had for years. He had no intention of giving up the name now. He just stared back at Whiting silently, his eyebrows raised while he continued to sip at the bad coffee. Whiting finally gave up, time to move things along. She stood up and opened the door to tell Officer Northam he could take the suspect back to his cell.

Deeks finally said something. "You're not a very good detective if you think I did this."

Whiting turned back to him, her eyes cold. "We'll see, detective, we'll see."

She motioned Northam in and, when he started to guide Deeks from the room, she followed them. She waited outside the cell while Northam removed the cuffs and shut the door.

"You look natural behind bars Detective Deeks." She said loudly. Deeks stared at her, stunned. She had just outted him as a cop to everyone else on this cell block. He heard a gasp through his earwig. Thank God NCIS was recording all of this.

Northam was similarly stunned. "Detective Whiting! Do you have _any_ idea what you've just done?" he hissed at her.

Whiting turned to him and said "What? Oh, sorry! My bad. I didn't think before I spoke." She turned back to Deeks and smirked. He could tell by the look on her face that she had done so deliberately and he had to wonder why. Could she be the one who was trying to frame him?

He decided to try something and said "Clarence Fisk." Her smirk faltered and she blinked a couple times. That was good enough for him although not for a court of law. They needed proof that Fisk was behind this and that Whiting was most likely on his payroll.

"That's huge Deeks! We'll focus more on Whiting now!" Eric said in, his ear. He reached up and tapped the earwig once, his eyes never leaving hers.

They stared at each other, neither saying a word. He wondered what was going on in her head. He had to think she was stunned that he'd somehow connected her, this, to Fisk. He wondered if she knew Monica Lee had been in to see him. They weren't as smart as they thought. Her visit was a huge clue to what was going on and was pretty much a stupid move on their part. He paused and thought over that last bit. Fisk _wasn't_ stupid. Could it be that Monica had acted on her own?

He broke the silence and said "You know, when Monica Lee showed up here yesterday, pretending to be my lawyer, I had to wonder. How did she know I was arrested for Boyle's murder? Someone had to have told her. She was here too quickly for it to be because she saw it on the news and I know that, even if it had been, they wouldn't release my name. It would compromise too many open cases. Also, as far as I know, neither she nor Fisk had any connection to _this_ case. Why would she tip their hand like that?"

Whiting's face turned pale and then red. Deeks felt satisfaction; she hadn't known the ex-lawyer had been here. She turned on her heel and left, Northam following in her wake, not sure what had just happened. There was silence on the block until the door closed behind them and then the threats started. He paid no attention, instead listening to what was being told to him over the comms.

Eric told him about Stephanie and his heart went out to her. He would never blame her for choosing her kids over him. If he had kids, he would do the same. His hopes started to rise when he heard she was changing her story back to the truth and was willing to testify against Monica. Monica! He may have just signed her death warrant.

Hetty had told him not to speak to them unless it was important. This seemed to fit the bill. He said softly "Eric? Can you hear me?" Tap. He huffed out a laugh. "NCIS will need to pick Monica up. If Whiting really is on Fisk's payroll, she'll tell him what Monica did and, if it was something she did behind Fisk's back, he could have her killed. We need her to testify against him and possibly Whiting."

"On it!" Eric motioned to Nell who picked up the phone to request an agent go pick up Monica. They already had her address as she was one of the people they were delving into, and she sent it to Agent Felton's phone when he agreed to be the one to go. Before he hung up, he asked about Deeks. She told him he was doing as well as could be expected and that they had eyes and ears on him right now. Felton asked her to pass along his well wishes and to let him know that he thought Deeks was innocent. Nell hung up, not sure when Deeks and Felton had gotten so chummy. She shook her head, Deeks got under everyone's skin. Sometimes it was good, sometimes bad. She missed him. She wished he would walk through the door and call her some cheesy nickname.

She thought back through all the ones he had made up for her. Nellasauros, Skinny Minny and her favorite, Velma. When he called her that, she really felt like part of the team. In her head, they were the gang from Scooby Doo. He was obviously Shaggy, Callen was Fred, Kensi was Daphne, and they even had Monty to play the part of Scooby Doo. She never quite found a niche from the show for Eric and Sam.

She shook herself out of her daydream. They'd get him out of this, she knew he wasn't guilty and their team was the best at what they did. If they couldn't do it, no one could. She turned back to listen to Eric fill Deeks in on the rest of what had been going on since his arrest.

Deeks was surprised when he heard that Rivera had been shot at and relieved to hear that Hetty and Granger were okay. He laughed when Eric told him that Rivera was going into protective custody at the boat shed and that Hetty wanted her involved in the case. He'd pay good money to see that first meeting between her and Kensi.

Eric made a point of telling him that Rivera had come to believe he was innocent and that it was Whiting who had pulled her off the case. His hopes rose more when told that Rivera had confirmed that the bullet that they had supposedly found his fingerprint on was a plant. That it hadn't been in the evidence box when she was working on the case. Still, how had they gotten a bullet with his fingerprint on it? He realized that he'd had to give up his gun and badge when they put him in the holding cell. Someone had to have taken it from his own gun then. He and Boyle had used different guns when they had been partners. Boyle's was a Smith & Wesson, while his was a Beretta 92FS. The caliber would have been different. He now carried a Smith & Wesson, the one Hetty had gifted him with after he lost his to Sidorov. If one of his was taken from his current gun, then hat would explain why the bullet didn't show up in the evidence log and case file until after he was arrested. At this point, they now had the physical bullet in their hands. He passed that theory on to Eric who agreed it made sense and that he would look into it.

He smiled when Nell got on the comms and told him that Jim Felton wanted her to pass on that he knew Deeks was innocent and that he wished him well. Deeks only wished his own team was behind him the same way. He and Felton had discovered a common interest in musicals and had become friends. The others, Kensi in particular, always made fun of him when he tried to talk about them and he'd finally stopped trying to get one of them to go with him. He had tickets to see Le Mis next month with Felton and his wife Sherry. He sincerely hoped he would be out of here by then and able to use them.

Eric finally wound down, having passed everything new on to Deeks. Deeks's quiet "Thank you Eric" was meant for more than just for the updates, both men knew he was thanking him for being on his side, for looking out for him.

"You're welcome." was Eric's equally quiet reply.


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7

Tiffany Williams hummed happily as she ate her salad and trolled through the latest news on her tablet. She had another half hour left of her lunch break and was looking to see what was going on out in the world. A headline caught her eye and the fork froze on the way to her mouth. No. It couldn't be. Not after all this time!

 _Suspect arrested in eight year old murder of LAPD Detective Francis Boyle_. Her hand trembled as she carefully placed the fork on the table and clicked on the article to open it. _LAPD announced today that they have made an arrest in the eight year old murder of Detective Francis Boyle. While they would not reveal his name, they did confirm the suspect was another LAPD detective who had once been partnered with the murdered man_. There was more but she didn't need to read it, she knew the story only too well. Her eyes filled with tears as she realized her life was over. They'd arrested Marty for Boyle's death and she couldn't let him take the fall.

She looked up when the door opened and a coworker entered. She felt her heart skip around in her chest the way it always did when he was near. She'd been in love with Doug pretty much since the first moment she'd met him, but had never let him know. Lately he'd seemed to be interested in her as more than a friend and she'd hoped that he might ask her out. That dream had burned to ash the moment she had laid eyes on the article. The tears spilled onto her cheeks and Doug rushed to her side. "Tiff? What's the matter? Are you okay?"

She could only shake her head no. He was going to hate her when this all came out. "I need to go to the police department. I need to go talk to Mr. Givens." she said brokenly.

"Police? Why?" Doug looked at the woman he'd only recently discovered he'd fallen in love with, worry about her beating a tattoo in his chest. "Come on, Tiff! You can tell me. There's nothing you can't tell me!"

"Yes, there is! There are things about me that you don't know. Things I'd hoped no one would ever have to know. Now I have no choice!" she hiccoughed out. She stood up and started for the door, Doug on her heels, not wanting to let her out of his sight when she was so upset. "Doug! I, I need to talk to Mr. Givens alone. Then I'm going down to the police department, alone."

"Like hell you are! There is no _way_ you are in any shape to drive. If you really have to go, I'll take you. Mr. Givens will understand."

"I highly doubt it." she said softly. "Why would you want to go with me?"

"Come on Tiff, do you really not know by now? I, I care about you. A lot."

If he had said those words to her yesterday, it would have made her the happiest woman on the planet. Now, they hurt her, she'd been so close to getting everything she wanted. Marty Deeks was the reason why she'd even had the chance to get it. She sighed, Doug was going to find out anyway, why not let him take her, let her pretend for a while that things might turn out okay. She nodded and turned back to her task of finding her boss. When she approached his office, she could see him at his desk, his head bent down as he worked on some report. She knocked on his door. He looked up and smiled. Tiffany Warner was one of his best employees and he was going to surprise her with a promotion and raise at the end of the month.

"Tiffany! Come in, my dear, come in." As she came closer he saw the tears on her face and his smile fled. She closed the door behind her, Doug watching them with concern. He stood up and pulled a chair out for her. "Tiffany? What's wrong? Why are you so upset?"

"I'm going to have to quit Mr. Givens. I'm sorry but I have to leave right now and I won't be back."

"What? Why? You seemed so happy here!"

"I was, I am. It's a personal matter and not something I want to talk about right now." He'd find out soon enough and would be glad she was no longer working for him.

"Are you sure? Is there something I could help you with? Something that would mean you could stay here?"

"No, Mr. Givens, but thank you! No one is going to be able to help me with this." She stood up and walked to the door. Looking back she said "I want to thank you for the opportunity to work here. It's been wonderful and a large part of that was working for you." With that she turned back, opened the door and stepped through it, Paul Givens watching her walk away in confusion.

Doug looked in through the door and said "I'm taking some personal time Mr. Givens. I need to be sure she's okay."

Paul nodded in agreement. "Don't bother taking personal time Doug. Just take care of her and make sure she doesn't need for anything." Doug nodded back and followed Tiffany to her desk.

She pulled on her jacket and picked up her purse. "I need to stop by my place and pick up something before heading to the police." He just nodded and followed her out to her car. She wordlessly handed him the keys and got into the passenger seat. He got in and started the car. The drive to her place was made in silence. She was a million miles away and he didn't know how to reach her. He'd been to her place several times and remembered the way.

When they got there he asked "Do you want me to come in with you?"

"No. I won't be long. I just need to pick up one thing and I'll be right out again." She got out of the car and walked slowly into the building. He thought she walked like an old woman, like she had aged years in the last half hour. He wanted to be there for her, no matter what she thought she'd done. True to her word, she was back out in minutes. She got back into the car and said "Let's go. Wilshire precinct on West Venice." Doug pointed the car in that direction and she sat quietly, going over in her mind what she was going to say. They got there quicker than she'd hoped. Her life would end when she walked through the door. She sat in the car for a couple minutes, trying to work up the courage to go in. She opened her purse and pulled out her wallet. From behind her license she pulled out an old tattered business card. She ran a finger over it; she'd kept it but had hoped she'd never have to use it again. She turned it over and read the name written on the back. Sighing, she got out of the car and marched into the police station, Doug beside her all the way.

She approached the front desk and said "Excuse me? I'd like to speak with Lt. Bates."

The officer behind the desk looked up, taking in the distraught young woman standing in front of her, her boyfriend hovering in the background. "Do you have an appointment ma'am?"

"No, but I need to see him. Right away."

"Let me check to see if he's in the building. Can I tell him what this is in regards to?"

"Yes, the Francis Boyle murder."

The man's eyebrows went up. Everyone knew they'd arrested another cop for that murder. He dialed the number to Bates office and the man answered. "Bates."

"Lt. Bates, I have a woman here asking to see you. She says it's about the Francis Boyle murder." He listened for a second and then put his hand over the receiver. "Can I get your name?"

"Tiffany Warner."

He repeated the name into the phone and then said "I'll send her right up." He hung up the phone and said "He'll see you. Take the elevators to the tenth floor. He's in office 1017."

"Thank you." Tiffany turned and looked at Doug. "You can wait here. In fact, you can go home if you'd like. I doubt I will be leaving this building with you."

"Nope. You're not getting rid of me that easy. I'm here to support you and I'm not letting you out of my sight."

She opened her mouth to argue with him but then shrugged and turned towards the elevator bank. She pushed the button and noticed that her hand was steady. She had resigned herself to this and was starting to realize that this had been hanging over her for years, coloring her every decision. It would be a relief to get it out in the open. The elevator doors opened and they entered. Doug pushed 10 and then reached down to take her hand. It was ice cold. He squeezed it to let her know he was there. The doors opened and they exited, heading towards the office that held her fate.

They both stood outside the door to 1017. Neither moving to knock, feeling frozen in time and space. Doug with uncertainty, Tiffany trying to enjoy her last moments of freedom. She finally reached out and knocked on the door.

"Come in."

She turned the knob and entered the room, taking in the older man behind the desk. He looked gruff and she inconsequentially thought that she really didn't like his mustache.

"Lt. Bates?"

"Yes. Ms. Warner?"

"Yes."

"Please be seated. What can I do for you?" Tiffany and Doug both moved forward and sat facing him.

"I'm here to confess to the murder of Francis Boyle. You've arrested the wrong person."

Bates stared at the young woman in front of him. She would have been, what, 13, 14 when Boyle was killed? There was no way she had done it. "Ms. Warner. I'm not sure what you hope to accomplish today but we have the murderer behind bars. The evidence all points to him."

Tiffany reached into her bag and pulled out a leather wallet, placing it on the desk between them. Bates scowled at it and reached out to take it. He opened it and found himself staring at the face of Frank Boyle. It was his LAPD badge. They had never found it at the scene. He looked up at her again and then looked at the man beside her. He was as stunned as Bates was. "Where did you get this?"

"I took it from the room after I shot that bastard to death. I pulled the trigger again and again until there were no bullets left in the gun and then I pulled it some more. I wiped it down and left. I'm not really sure why I took it or why I kept it but now I'm glad I did. Marty didn't kill Boyle, I did."

"How do you know Deeks?"

"I was a working girl. I look younger than I am and some of the johns liked that. Boyle was one of them. He would get high, get one of us into a motel and then get off on beating us. One day he came by with Marty in tow. He got a little rough and Marty pulled him away from me. Boyle then hit him, several times. Marty shoved him away and yelled at him to go cool off. After Boyle walked away, Marty was kind to me. He told me I shouldn't be out there. That I could do better than selling myself to jerks like Boyle and then he gave me his card. He said he used to be a Public Defender and he knew people who could help me. People who would find me someplace to live, help me get my GED, help me find a job, get me some training if that's what I wanted." She stopped to take a breath. She refused to look at Doug; sure he was now looking at her in disgust.

"My name back then was Julie Sanders. Marty helped me to change it legally after I got my GED. I ran away from home when I was 16. My stepfather decided marrying my mother gave him certain rights to me as well. If I didn't cooperate he'd beat me. I tried to tell my mother but she wouldn't believe me. Once I was on the streets, it wasn't long before I ended up in the life. I had no skills and nowhere to go. I didn't believe Marty; I thought he had ulterior motives. At that point in my life, I pretty much didn't trust anyone. I took the card to shut him up and walked away. I looked back, once, to find him staring after me sadly. I almost went back to him. I've wished every day since then, that I had. Things would have turned out differently."

Bates had an odd look on his face, one that Tiffany couldn't decipher. She had no idea that it was guilt. The man was just now figuring out that Deeks had been telling the truth and that he hadn't stood by him. He remembered John Quinn and how the man had tried to frame him for being Fisk's mole in LAPD. Deeks had been undercover within the LAPD, something that Bates now realized that he'd never really forgiven him for. Not only for lying to him but for the fact that he'd fooled him. He'd been a skilled interrogator in the army during Desert Storm. He should have been able to see through Deeks's lies but he hadn't.

He'd been grateful to the detective and NCIS for not only uncovering Quinn as the real mole, but also for saving his life. However, the sting of the lies had never gone away. He'd spoken with Deeks's partner again later. She'd told him that Deeks had been convinced that Bates wasn't dirty. She told him about the look on her partner's face when they saw him put on the baseball hat and drive away from the meet Fisk was having with the Aryans. How he'd then thought that Bates really was the mole and how desperately disappointed he was, how he'd swallowed hard before pulling away to tail him. And yet, when they followed him to where he was supposed to meet Quinn, even then Deeks hadn't really believed. He'd figured out that Quinn was pitting the two of them against each other. Bates thought that, though he'd told Deeks that he was still one of his, things had changed between them that day. He wondered if the man would ever be able to forgive him.

Tiffany watched the silent man sitting across from her, wondering what was going on in his head. She was stunned when Doug reached out and grabbed her hand. She looked at him in surprise and saw there were tears on his face but no disgust. She took strength from that, turned back and continued.

"Two nights later, Boyle picked me up on Culver and took me to that motel. He was high as a kite and started to beat me. He'd done it before but this time it was different. He started talking about Marty and how he had no right to get between him and what was his. I thought he meant me. It wasn't until later that I found out Marty had reported Boyle for hurting a suspect with scalding hot coffee and for putting his gun in Marty's mouth when he'd protested. The beating was harder and went on longer than normal. I started to get really scared that he was going to kill me. His gun was just sitting there on the end table, next to the bed and I was able to get my hands on it. I didn't mean to kill him; I just wanted him to stop. He laughed and staggered at me, his fist raised, shouting that I'd never have the guts to shoot him. I just pulled the trigger and he fell back on the bed, blood started to stain his shirt. I think I was in shock. I kept pulling the trigger even once the gun was empty. The weird thing? In my nightmares, that's the sound that wakes me screaming. The click of the empty gun."

Doug spoke for the first time. "It was self-defense Tiffany. Why didn't you just tell the cops that?"

Tiffany laughed bitterly, feeling so much older than him. "I was a hooker, with a record, who'd just s ot a cop. Do you really think that anyone would believe me? I wiped down the gun, grabbed his badge off the end table and got out of there as quick as I could. I stayed in my room for three days after that, waiting for the cops to show up and arrest me. Needless to say, my pimp was less than happy with me. I still had this."

She held up the tattered business card and Doug took it from her and read out loud. "Detective Martin A. Deeks." He turned it over. "Lt. Roger Bates?"

Bates looked at the card in surprise. "How did my name get on the back? That's Deeks's handwriting."

"Yes. As I said, I had the card and I decided to take a chance and call him. If someone were looking for a hooker who'd shot a cop, well then, I wouldn't be that person anymore. He answered right away and was so pleased when I told him I'd thought about it and would like to take him up on his offer. He never let on until later that he was a suspect in the murder I'd committed. By the time I found out, he'd already been cleared. He came to get me. He was so upset when he saw all the bruises on my face and arms. He asked me who did it and I just said sometimes johns get a little out of control. He brought me to a shelter where he volunteered. The people there were wonderful. He put me in touch with a couple advocacy groups and they did everything he'd promised. I got my GED, I got some computer training and they helped me get a job. That job led to other jobs until I finally ended up at my current one. I was happy, I was fulfilled, and I was my own person again."

"He sounds like a great guy." Said Doug.

"He is. When I tried to thank him in the only way I knew how, he turned me down gently. He asked me to pay it forward. To help others I knew to get out of the life. And I did. I've gotten five other girls, over the last six years, into the same programs I went into. There were two others I tried to help but they couldn't deal with the changes and went back to the streets. The five I helped? I asked them for the same thing as Marty. To pay it forward. I've kept in touch with them and each has helped a couple girls themselves. One even helped a young man get out. When you think about it, the number of people Marty Deeks helped get a different life has grown exponentially, but it started with me. Not too long after I was out I showed Marty that I still had his card. By then he was doing undercover work. He took the card and wrote your name on the back. He told me to contact you if I needed something and I couldn't reach him. He told me I could trust you. That's why I came to you today."

Each word made Bates feel worse for not standing by his detective.

She sighed and said quietly "I've always suspected that he knew it was me that shot Boyle. It was well known that he liked to get high and beat on the girls. The bruises might have raised his suspicions but he never asked and I never volunteered. We've kept in touch over the years. He always wants to know how things are going in my life. He's like the big brother I never had. I never thought he would end up arrested for something I did. I couldn't let it go. So here I am. I've confessed. What do I need to do now?"

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A/N – okay, now everyone knows what we already did, Deeks is innocent. I had hoped to get this done before Monday night but I think here is good enough. I will have a couple more chapters to tie everything up, but I doubt they will be up before then. My hands are starting to hurt from typing for three days straight. Plus my brain is fried. Although that may have been a fact for years prior to this story. LOL! Enjoy!

A/N 2 – thanks to yellowcallalilly for questioning why Bates behaved how he did. I added that whole section of the story based on her prompting.


	8. Chapter 8

A/N – warning, some light swearing.

A/N2 – this is sooooo gonna be AU shortly!

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Chapter 8

Bates stood outside the door to the cell block, trying out different conversations in his head. They all ended up with him apologizing and he couldn't find a way around it. He was about to nod to the guard to let him in he heard Northam call his name.

"Lt. Bates! Can I have a minute please?"

He was glad of the reprieve and turned to see what the officer wanted. "What's up Northam?"

Northam looked nervously at the guard and said "A moment in private, if you don't mind?"

Bates nodded and walked far enough away from the guard to be out of earshot, Northam following along. "Ok, now what's so important?"

"Sir, I need to tell you something that happened this morning with Detectives Deeks and Whiting." He paused, not sure if he really wanted to be a rat but worried about what would happen if he didn't.

Bates waited a bit and then finally said "And?"

"Sir, Detective Whiting called him Detective Deeks while standing in front of his cell. Loudly. We were both stunned by it. I know he deserves to go to jail for what he did, but not to be outted in front of the whole cell block. Something like that is going to get around and get him killed."

"Damn it! What was she thinking? Not only could that get him killed, it could compromise several open investigations!"

"When I confronted her, she said she just _didn't_ think."

Bates raised an eyebrow and Northam went red. "There's no way she didn't do that deliberately. I'll be having a talk with her after I get Deeks out, about several things."

"Out?"

"Yes, the person who actually killed Boyle walked into the precinct about an hour ago and confessed everything."

If it hadn't been such a serious matter, the look on Northam's face would have elicited a laugh from Bates, but he was still trying to figure out how to tell Deeks he was sorry he hadn't believed him and that Tiffany Warner had confessed and was going to spend a long time behind bars. He looked at Northam again, an idea formulating in his mind. "Come with me and play along. Don't question anything I say or do, understand?"

Northam nodded and the two men went back to the cell block door. Bates nodded and the guard unlocked it. The three men walked through and down the hallway to Deeks's cell. He was sitting on the bed, his back to the bars, staring at the wall.

"Deeks!" yelled Bates.

Deeks murmured softly "Going blind and deaf for a bit." Then he reached up to rub his head, turning off his earwig at the same time. He slid it out of his ear and then slid the same hand down the collar of his shirt, removing the button camera from it. He pushed himself off the bed and shoved his hands in his pockets, turning to face his Lieutenant.

"Yeah?"

"You lucked out this time, you low life! Someone else just confessed to the murder you're in here for. You're getting sprung! Not that I don't expect you'll be back here as soon as we can prove the others you committed." Bates said loudly, hoping Deeks would catch on. He motioned to the guard to open the cell door. "Put your hands out in front of you. Northam, make sure you cuff this piece of shit!"

Deeks stood up and put his hands together in front of him, giving nothing away, desperately wanting to ask if it was Tiffany who had confessed but understanding he needed to play a part.

"Ha! You'll never pin anything on me, asshole. Hey! Didn't you know I've been upgraded to detective from low life?" he said sarcastically.

"You? A detective? Who in their right mind would ever believe that? Look at you! The LAPD would really have to be scraping the bottom of the barrel to let you on the force. You wouldn't make it through one day at the Academy!"

Northam had also caught on to what the Lt. was doing and aggressively slapped the cuffs on Deeks. He then pulled him out of the cell and pushed him along the corridor.

"I'm gonna get a lawyer! I'm gonna sue LAPD for false imprisonment! I'm gonna sue that cop that beat the shit out of me for assault and battery! Hell, I might even sue that bitch who tried to pretend I was a cop! Sue her for slander! Like there is any reality in which I'd ever want to be one of you!" Deeks spat out as he was yanked down the corridor.

"She only said that so that she could threaten you with going into general population. You know what would happen to someone they thought was a cop? She was hoping you'd get spooked and confess to the murder and then she'd let it be known that you weren't a cop after all. It was a nice try, too bad we got you on the wrong murder!"

"I'm gonna sue her for attempted murder! She can't get away with that!" Deeks yelled at Bates, his anger at the Lt. and LAPD in general, leading credence to the vitriol behind his words. It seemed to work as the cat calls that followed them as they pushed Deeks to the door were all supportive of him.

Once through the door, Northam let go of Deeks and muttered an apology while he uncuffed him. Deeks couldn't let it go. "What do you think now, Northam?"

The man took a deep breath and looked Deeks directly in the eyes. "I'm sorry I didn't give you at least the benefit of the doubt. Whiting and Steadman were so sure you did it, I let it color my judgment. I won't let that happen again."

Deeks looked at him, gauging his sincerity and then, satisfied, nodded. "Good."

He looked at his Lt. and was surprised by the hesitation written clearly on his face. When he realized Deeks was staring at him, his face became a blank. "Let's go up to my office Deeks. I have your stuff and you can sign for it. Also..." he paused "…we need to talk."

Deeks turned and preceded him. "Yeah. Yeah we do."

He walked with his head held high past the same cops who wouldn't even look at him when he'd been brought in in cuffs. Most had the grace to look ashamed, some looked confused. A couple more still looked angry, as if they couldn't quite bring themselves to admit they'd been wrong. Bruce Steadman fell into this category. "You may not have done this Deeks, but we all know you're a lousy rat and no one will ever want to work with you."

Deeks didn't bother to answer and was surprised when Northam did. "I would. I'd work with him any time." He looked at him with gratitude, not sure why the younger man had stood up for him, worried that it would make him the same target he, himself, had been all these years.

Northam broke off from them, pausing to hold out his hand saying "Good luck, Detective Deeks."

Deeks took it and said "Marty or just Deeks." Northam smiled and turned to go back to his own work. Bates and Deeks got into the elevator to go to the tenth floor. They were silent until Bates unlocked his door and then closed it behind them.

"Was it Tiffany? Was she the one who came in to confess?" he couldn't hold it in any longer.

"Sounds like you already knew it was her. Why didn't you tell anyone?"

"I didn't know for sure. I suspected but I never asked. She'd already been through so much and I knew what Boyle was. I knew he'd been getting high and beating on the girls. Hell, everyone knew it but no one ever did anything about it! She was just a kid and scared out of her mind. She agreed to go to the shelter and get out of the life. I decided I'd be there for her if she wanted to confess and wouldn't push her if she didn't. For all I knew, she hadn't done it."

Bates sat down in his chair, Deeks in the one on the other side of the desk, facing him. "Would you have gone to jail for her, Deeks? Would you have done time for a murder you didn't commit to protect her?"

Deeks had to think about it and finally gave an honest answer. "I don't know. I really don't know. I think I wouldn't have known until it came down to going to trial. I knew I didn't do it so figured the evidence had to be pretty flimsy and a good lawyer would be able to get me out it. I was shocked when I heard about the fingerprint and the DNA evidence. I didn't know which end was up at that point."

"How do you think that your fingerprint got on that bullet if Tiffany committed the murder?"

"Do you want an honest answer?" Bates nodded. "Ok, then here it is. I think I was being framed by Clarence Fisk with help from someone within LAPD. Why, I don't know. His pet ex-lawyer, Monica Lee, came by to see me, pretending to be _my_ lawyer. Then Whiting brought up all this "new" evidence against me. The DNA I could see, I'd stayed at the same hotel just before Boyle's murder when my place was being tented. That place used to do long term rentals and only had a few rooms they rented out to short termers. It wouldn't be beyond the realm of possibility that I stayed in the same room. Let's just say, it wasn't the cleanest place, but at the time, it was the best I could afford. As for the bullet, if I were a betting man, I'd bet I'll be one bullet short when you give me back my gun."

"Who?"

"Whiting. She flinched when I said Fisk's name. When I told her about Monica showing up to see me, she bolted. Right after she outted me as a cop."

"Those are some serious charges."

"I'm not making any charges; I'm just telling you my theory."

Bates nodded and unlocked his top drawer, pulling out the personal effects envelope and Deeks's badge and gun. He pushed it all towards him. Deeks opened the envelope and pulled out his keys, wallet and cell phone, sticking them in his pocket. He signed the paperwork stating he'd received it all back in good condition. He stared at the gun and badge. Picking up the gun, he pulled out the clip and sighed. He showed it to Bates, there was one bullet missing. "I clean and reload my gun after every use. This was fully loaded when I surrendered it. There's one bullet missing just as I thought there might be, but I can't prove it." He put the clip back into the gun and placed it on the table. He stared it and his badge for a while longer, then pushed them back towards Bates. "I'm resigning from LAPD."

Bates sighed. "Look, kid, I'm sorry. I should have stood behind you. Northam had it right when he said the evidence and the claims of Whiting and Steadman were convincing." He paused for a moment. "I also remember you being somewhat skittish when you first started working with me. It wasn't that far a stretch to think back and wonder if it was because you were guilty of something."

"I was skittish because of the attitude of pretty much every cop I ran into. Boyle had poisoned them against me from the moment I informed IA about what he was up to. "

Bates took in a deep breath, knowing he was going to have to confess the rest. "The John Quinn case might have colored my thinking as well. You lied to me and you fooled me. I know you, and your NCIS team, helped me get Fisk, smoked out Quinn and saved my life, but I think a part of me has never forgiven you for turning on me."

"I never saw it as turning on you, Bates. I never suspected you were the mole. I just wanted what you did. To get Fisk off the streets and that RDX back where it belonged. I'm sorry if you feel I betrayed you. Right now, I know exactly how you felt."

"So, when am I going to have to address you as Agent Deeks? I knew this would happen sooner or later."

"Never. I think I'm done with law enforcement, in any form."

"Your partner know about this?"

Deeks face went blank. "No one knows but you." He stood up and hesitated. Bates may not have stood by him in this but he had taken him on when no one else would. He owed him for that at least. He held out his hand and Bates took it.

"Let me know if you ever change your mind. You're a hell of an operator."

Deeks nodded and started to leave. A thought crossed his mind and turned back. "Could you do me a favor?"

"I can try."

"Could not enter my release into the system for a few hours?"

Bates looked confused but nodded. That was something he could do. Deeks nodded back and left, closing the door softly behind him. Bates looked down at the gun and badge sitting on his desk and sighed. He picked them up and put them in the same drawer he'd taken them from, locking it up again. He turned and stared out the window at the California sky.

Deeks pulled out his phone as soon as he hit the lobby and turned it on. It still had some power. He ignored the missed calls and texts. He found the contact he wanted and hit dial.

"Grant MacDougall."

"Grant, it's Marty."

"Marty? Hey man, how you doing? Still slumming at LAPD?"

"Sort of. Listen, Grant, I need to ask you a favor."

"Name it! I still owe you big time."

"I have a friend who just confessed to a murder she committed eight years ago when she was a teenager and hooking. The guy she killed was a cop who liked to get high and beat on the girls. He got very aggressive with her that night because of me. Would you take her on? I'll foot the bill. I'll find some way to pay you."

"Of course I'll take it and I'll take her on pro bono. Like I said Marty, I owe you."

"That was a long time ago, Grant."

"You saved my life. That's not something I'll ever be done paying you back for." Deeks and Grant had gone to law school together. Grant had joined a large firm and specialized in criminal law, Deeks had gone into the Public Defender's Office but, despite their disparate paths, they'd kept in touch and stayed good friends. One night, after Deeks had left to join LAPD, they'd gone out to a bar to catch up. Somehow they'd managed to get caught up in a bar fight and a guy had taken hold of Grant, holding a knife to his throat. Deeks had talked him into letting Grant go. Grant still insisted he owed Deeks his life, although Deeks had always tried to tell him the guy had never had any intention of actually hurting him.

"Are you sure? I can pay you."

"I'm sure Marty. Any friend of yours is a friend of mine. And, who knows, maybe I'll make a name for myself by getting her off."

Deeks laughed, his friend had already made a name for himself. Prosecutors hated him. "Thanks man. Her name is Tiffany Warner and she's at the Wilshire precinct."

"Okay. I'm free at 2, I'll head over then."

"Thanks again. I'm going to try to get into see her now. I'll let her know you're coming."

"Great. Hey, we need to get together soon, you hear me?"

"I'd love to. I just need to get some things done first."

"I hear ya. Talk to you soon buddy."

"Bye."

Deeks hung up and walked over to the door to holding. He recognized the man at the desk and sighed. This might be harder than he'd thought. "Johnson. I'd like to see a Tiffany Warner in holding."

The man looked up and surprised Deeks by holding out his hand and saying "Glad to hear you finally got that mess cleared up Deeks. I'll let you in." Deeks shook his hand and followed him through the door.

Johnson yelled out "Tiffany Warner!"

He hadn't seen her in person for over a year. She looked good. Sad and discouraged, but good. He walked up to the bars. "Tiff?"

"I'm so sorry Marty! I never thought they'd arrest you for his murder. I came down as soon as I saw it on the news."

"I know, Lt. Bates told me everything. Look, I've gotten you a good criminal lawyer. He's one of the best!"

"Then I probably won't be able to afford him! Marty, I don't have all that much saved up!"

"He's a friend and he's doing this pro bono. That means no hourly fees. You just need to pay his out of pocket expenses and I'll help you with those."

"Really? I don't know what to say."

"Say thank you to Grant when he shows up this afternoon. Look, I have things I need to do and not very long to do them. I'll keep in touch with you and with Grant, okay?"

"Yes. Marty, I'm so sorry!"

"Don't be. We both know it was self-defense and Grant will work that angle. As for the rest? There was no way you'd know that I'd get caught up in this. You keep your spirits up, you hear me? Is there anyone in your life that can help you out?"

She nodded; still surprised that she could say that. Doug hadn't left her side until he'd been forced to, promising to come back, to help in any way. "Yeah, I do have someone. Doug has promised to stick by me no matter what."

He smiled at her and nodded. "Good for you. I've got to head out. Keep your head down and stay safe."

"I will. Bye Marty."

"Bye Tiff." He turned and walked out, already thinking about his next steps.


	9. Chapter 9

A/N - at this point, I think this is alternate timeline rather than alternate ending. Thought about abandoning it but too many ideas running through my head.

A/N 2 - thanks to honus47 for reviewing and catching all the errors! Any that are left are all me!

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Chapter 9

Deeks exited the precinct and realized he had no transportation. He checked his wallet. He had more than enough for a cab ride home. He flagged one down and gave the guy an address a couple blocks from his place. He couldn't face Kensi right now. He needed to get his head clear before he said something to her he couldn't take back. He was lost deep in thought and the cabbie had to tell him three times that they were there. He paid the man and got out. Even though it hadn't been all that long, being out in the open air felt strange. He couldn't even begin to imagine being incarcerated for years and then getting out, trying to reacclimate to the sense of freedom.

He walked the couple blocks to their, _his_ , place. His truck was there but her car was gone. She was still at work. He went up the walk and into the house, greeted by an ecstatic Monty who had missed him. He scratched his buddy behind the ears and then let him out into the back yard. While Monty was out doing his business, Deeks emptied his water and food dishes. He opened the cabinets and pulled out the dog food. Moving into living room, he grabbed Monty's bed and took it all out to his truck, throwing it in the back. He'd made his decision. He needed some time. Time away from everyone to make sure he was making the _right_ decisions and not acting hastily, time to make sure the coming difficult conversations were rational. The one thing he did know, he'd made the right decision leaving LAPD. He wasn't sure what he was going to do with his life, but he was pretty sure it wouldn't include being in law enforcement anymore.

He packed his duffle bag with enough clothes and toiletries to last him a week. If he needed longer, he would just find somewhere to do a load of laundry, pick up whatever he needed at local stores. He took that out and threw it in the back with Monty's stuff. Coming back into the house he hesitated. He wasn't sure where he was going but taking his surfboard would be a good idea. He always thought best out on the water. He grabbed his wetsuit and board. They too went into the back. He closed the lid and locked it, glad that he'd paid extra for the locking cap for the bed. Moving back into the house, he checked on Monty. The dog was still wandering around the backyard and would be okay for a while.

He pulled a pad of paper out of the desk and sat down to write Kensi a letter. He stared at the paper, not knowing where to start. Finally he picked up the pen and just started to write from his heart. When he finished, he didn't bother to reread it, he knew he'd end up making change after change or just throwing it out. He found an envelope and wrote her name on it then stuffed the letter inside. Before sealing it, he pulled out his keys. He worked Kensi's apartment key off the chain and put it in with the letter. When he got back, either she gave the apartment up and admitted they were living together or they would decide to no longer _be_ together. Either way, he would no longer need that key. At this point, he wasn't sure which scenario would play out. It would depend on the next few weeks and her answers when he got back. He placed the envelope on the dining room table where she would be sure to see it. He pulled the pad back towards him and wrote another letter. He put that into another envelope and stuck it in his back pocket.

He opened the back door and whistled for Monty who bounded up to him. Deeks snapped the leash on his collar and led him out the front door. He locked it behind him and got the dog situated in the back of the cab. He got into the driver's seat and put the key in the ignition. Before turning it, he stared at the house he'd been so excited to rent. It was plenty big enough for him and Kensi. She all but lived there, so much of her stuff having migrated from her place to here, but she still held onto her own apartment. He hadn't told her that this place was a rent to own. He'd been ready. Ready to own his own place, with her. He huffed out a laugh. Yeah, how'd that work out?

His bills would be okay. With all the long term undercover work he'd done, he'd long ago set up all his bills to be paid automatically. He just needed to move money out of his savings and into his checking, enough to cover the rent and utilities for the next few months. He wouldn't be using his credit cards. He knew the wonder twins would be able to track his every move through those. He'd stop at the bank and take care of that, as well as taking out enough cash to get him through this time. He still wasn't sure how long he'd be gone. It could be a week, could be a month but he wanted to be sure everything would be paid for.

He turned the key and drove away, watching the house get smaller in the rear view mirror. Other than the bank, he had one other stop to make and he was going to wait until later tonight to go there. After that, he was going to head south, down the coast. Surf where he could. Head into Mexico. For now, he had to find a way to kill the time. He couldn't go to any of his regular haunts, she'd be finding out soon enough that he'd been released and would go looking for him everywhere she knew he went. After hitting the bank, he drove for an hour and stumbled upon a secluded beach. He wondered if an alert had already been sounded up in ops that he'd accessed his account. It felt strange to be on the other side of things. For the next few hours, he and Monty walked on the sand or sat and watched the waves. He bought a burger from a place up the road and shared it with his dog. When he felt it was time, he aimed the truck back to L.A.

He entered the Mission a little before 10 PM. As he'd expected, there were few people there, just a couple agents finishing up some things, people he was only on nodding terms with. His team's, _ex-team's_ , desks and Hetty's office were vacant. He found an empty box and emptied his locker and desk. When done, he stared at the box. Seven years here, seven of the most important years of his life, and everything he wanted to take, fit into one box. He wasn't sure how to feel about that. He had studiously ignored THE box, sitting on the shelf where he'd placed it after she'd let him open it, only to find another inside. She had told him that inside was everything he'd ever wanted. Right now, he wasn't sure what that was. So, the box would stay here. He picked up the nameplate from his desk. He ran his finger over his name. Detective Marty Deeks. Sighing, he dropped it into the trash barrel. It wasn't his name anymore. Her voice startled him.

"It's good to see you, Mr. Deeks." He'd been so sure she wasn't in the office. He wondered if she had trackers on all of them and headed here if she saw one of them show up unexpectedly. He'd have to search his truck. He didn't want, or need, her tracking him in the coming weeks. He turned to find her standing on the edge of the dais her office sat on. Her hands were folded in front of her as they often were. He took a deep breath and moved towards her. When he was standing in front of her, she reached out a hand and gently turned his head towards the meager lighting. The bruise on his check had turned a darker purple. She then raised his head and sucked in a breath at the sight of the hand print on his neck. "I'm so sorry this happened to you Marty."

He blinked at the use of his first name. She only used them when she was emotionally impacted by whatever was going on with them at the time. He smiled at her and said "It doesn't hurt anymore Hetty." He reached into his back pocket and drew out the envelope. "Actually, I'm glad you're here. I was going to leave this on your desk but now I get the chance to give it to you in person."

She took and opened the envelope. "It's your resignation as our Liaison."

"It's more a formality or a courtesy, if you will. I resigned from LAPD today. That would mean I could no longer be your Liaison anyway."

Knowing the answer but hoping she was wrong, she asked. "Does that mean you will be signing the papers to become an NCIS agent?"

"No. I think I'm done with law enforcement."

A familiar gravelly voice sounded behind. "I highly doubt that."

Deeks turned towards the man and said "I'm not sure what you mean by that Granger."

"It means, Deeks, that it's in your blood now. It's what you do, who you are. It's never just been a job to you. You'll be back to it. I know from experience. I tried once. I lasted 5 weeks before I gave up and admitted there was nothing else I wanted to do, nothing else I was suited for. "

"I don't know about that."

"I do. You have my number, correct?" Hetty raised her eyebrows at that. Just how many off the books assignments had their Liaison done for Granger? She would save that discussion with Owen for a later date.

Deeks nodded in the affirmative. Granger continued. "Good. When you're ready, you call me. I'll get you fast tracked as an NCIS agent and I'll do whatever I can to get you into whichever office you want to be assigned to, even if it isn't OSP. If you decide you don't want NCIS, I have contacts at many other federal agencies. I'll help you get in wherever you want."

"I don't know what to say! That's very generous of you and not something I would ever have expected."

"Don't make a big deal out of it. You're an asset and I hate to waste them."

Deeks smirked at him and turned back to Hetty. "I'll miss you Hetty! We've had our ups and downs, but I _will_ miss you."

"As I will miss you, we all will. Are you sure this is what you want? Your team has worked diligently on proving your innocence. They are still working on who tried to frame you for this."

Deeks barked out a humorless laugh. "Right. I bet my _team_ was just as shocked as LAPD when it turned out that I actually _am_ innocent."

"That's not fair, Mr. Deeks. Your team stood behind you."

"So Callen asking me what else LAPD had on me was standing behind me?"

"Mr. Callen is a cautious man. He sees all sides and tries to plan accordingly. He never once said you were guilty."

"And Kensi?" he asked softly.

Hetty hesitated, wondering if she should really try to psychoanalyze her junior agent to the woman's partner and lover. Making a decision, she said "Kensi had a hard time letting you in. You know that, we all do. She has been abandoned by or lost many people in her life. Her mother, father, Dom, even Renko. I believe she fears losing you to the job and has prepared herself for that, but I don't believe she ever thought she could lose you to incarceration on a murder charge. She may have been hasty and unthinking in her initial conversation with you but know this, she vehemently supported you and was loud in her belief of your innocence."

Deeks realized from her words that they had discussed the conversations he had had with his team mates while in lock up. He wasn't sure how he felt about that but did feel a sliver of hope at her words. Hetty continued "As for Mr. Hanna, you never spoke with him but he never once suggested that you were guilty. Can you say the same for yourself in relation to him?"

Deeks remembered the case where Sam had been arrested by the FBI for murdering a reporter who was working with an ex-Navy Seal who was exposing fake Seals. The team had immediately had his back and Deeks had made one small comment, playing devil's advocate, that was immediately misconstrued as him thinking Sam was guilty, when he _knew_ that the man wasn't. He looked at Hetty. "I'll take all that into consideration Hetty, but I need time away to clear my head, to think about the future."

"Will you promise me one thing?"

"If I can."

"Will you let me know, as often as you can, that you're okay? A call, an email or even a text?"

He nodded at her and said "I can do that."

Turning, he shook hands with Granger and then went to pick up his box of belongings. Granger decided to ask one last question. "If you suspected Tiffany Warner of killing Boyle, why didn't you give her up to LAPD?"

"I suspected but had no proof. She was just a kid in a bad situation. I couldn't let anything happen to her." Something in Deeks's voice gave Granger pause.

"Did you, do you, have feelings for this young woman, Deeks?" Both he and Hetty watched the emotions play over his face, the prominent one, sadness.

"Yes, I do." He replied.

"And Kensi?" asked Hetty, repeating his exact words from earlier. He looked startled.

"No, it's not like that!" He hesitated and decided it wouldn't hurt for them to know. "She's my sister. _Half_ -sister, actually."

If he had ever expected to surprise Henrietta Lange, the expression on her face was exactly what he would have been looking for. "Your half-sister?"

"Yeah, I always knew my dad screwed around on my mom. He met Tiffany's mom when I was 9, got her pregnant when I was 10. Tiffany, or Julie as she was called then, was born just before he went to jail for trying to kill mom and me. "

"Does she know?"

"No! When I first met Tiffany, I just thought she was another down and out kid who'd gotten caught up in the life with no way out. She became my CI and, one day, I struck up a conversation about family with her, trying to figure out if there was anyone out there who would care about what happened to her. She told me her mom had married when she was 13 and that her stepdad was nice for a while, then she started to mature and he took a different kind of interest in her. He started raping her when she was 15 and her mom wouldn't believe her. When she was 16 she ran away from home and ended up a prostitute. When she killed Boyle she was only 17!"

He took a deep breath. "Anyway, while we were talking about family, she told me her real dad hadn't been around when she was a kid. Her mom had told her how much he loved her and what a good man he was, but that he just couldn't come to see them right now, but that he would, eventually. I asked if she knew his name, thinking that maybe I could reach out to him; get him to understand what danger she was in out on the streets. I almost passed out when she said his name was Gordon Brandel. I didn't know what to say. I wanted to tell her that her mom had told her lies. That Brandel was not a good man and wasn't capable of loving anyone other than himself. That he'd died in 1998 in a car accident. I wanted to tell her the world was well rid of him but she'd sounded so wistful when she talked about him. I didn't want to take away her only good memories of him. What good would that do?"

He looked at them, wondering what they were thinking and Hetty nodded in encouragement. He continued. "I couldn't tell her Brandel was my dad as well. If I had, she would have wanted stories about him, what he was like, how he was with me and my mom. What was I going to tell her? That he beat the crap out of us both, on pretty much a daily basis? That I had to shoot him when I was 11 to stop him from killing mom and me? What harm would it do to leave her with her fantasies about the perfect dad who was still out there, just waiting to swoop in and take her away from all that her life had become? I decided to just stay her friend and do what I could to get her out." He paused. "Bates asked me if I would have gone to jail for her. I didn't tell him what I've just told you. What I did tell him was that I honestly didn't know but now, I think the answer is yes. I would have gone to jail for her. She has gone through so much and would have had a good life ahead of her. Turned out, she's just too good a person to let me do it."

Hetty reached out again and put both hands on either side of his face and pulled his head down towards her. She leaned forward and kissed him on the forehead, much as she had not so long ago with Sam, after they'd made up over him trying to go rogue. She said quietly "You're a good man and I _will_ miss you Marty Deeks!"

He smiled, the first real one since he had been arrested and pulled off the street, away from Kensi. He went over to his desk and picked up the box of his things. Turning, he looked at the two of them, standing by the entrance to her office and he felt something tug at his heart. He thought it was regret, he prayed it wasn't relief. He nodded to them once more and walked out of the Mission with their eyes upon him. When he had disappeared from view, Hetty went over to the trash and removed his name plate. She ran a hand over it and looked up to find Owen watching her. She expected amusement, derision maybe. Instead she found understanding.


	10. Chapter 10

Chapter 10

Kensi drove home slowly, again. This time it was because she was afraid of what would be waiting for her. Or not waiting for her. She was so damned tired. The last few days had been a rollercoaster of emotions, beginning with the confusion and fear she felt when he'd been ripped away from her side, arrested for murder, cuffed and stuffed into the back of the car. His last words "I love you." ringing in her ears. From there she had experienced anger, worry, frustration, elation and back to fear.

She remembered Nell running down the stairs saying "Deeks is out!"

"What? How?" asked Sam.

"A woman named Tiffany Warner confessed to the crime. They had to let Deeks go after that!"

Kensi stood up and grabbed her bag.

Nell hesitated, not knowing how to tell her the rest of the news. "Where are you going Kens?"

"To pick him up! He'll need a ride home. I need to see him. To know he's okay."

"Uh, Kens." Nell stopped, realizing everyone's eyes were on her. She cleared her throat and continued softly. "He was released a little over four hours ago."

Kensi sat back down, hard. She stared at Nell but couldn't form any thoughts. Finally she said "That has to be a mistake. He would have called. He would have wanted me, wanted us, to know that he was out."

"I don't know what to tell you. The alert we had on his case just let us know. LAPD just updated their database but the time of release was hours ago. Maybe he's still there? Clearing some things up?"

Kensi pulled out her phone and dialed his number. It went straight to voicemail. She looked to find five pairs of eyes watching her expectantly. Eric had come down to join Nell in the bullpen and Hetty had appeared out of nowhere. "Voicemail." She told them.

"Maybe he hasn't turned it back on yet?" asked Eric. "He took off the earwig and camera just before Bates took him out of the cell. We haven't had any communication from him since then. Why would he just go dark like that?"

Sam sighed. "Maybe he just has some things he needs to work out."

Kensi looked at him sharply. "He should have let us know the moment he could get to a phone."

"I understand that Kens, but look at it from his point of view. He was set up to take the fall for a murder he didn't commit. Someone inside LAPD had to have been the one to plant the evidence. Then you and Callen questioned his innocence, inadvertently or not. Maybe he just needs to clear his head without everyone crowding him."

Kensi looked unconvinced but didn't know what else to say. She looked at Hetty who nodded. "Go home Miss. Blye. It's close enough to quitting time. Let him know we're glad he's out and that we're thinking of him. Tomorrow you and Mr. Deeks will work with Detective Rivera to see what information she has that might lead us to who did this. The rest of us will work other angles to see if we can wrap this up. Just because he was exonerated and released, doesn't mean this is over. If they tried once, they will try again. Now go!"

Kensi nodded her thanks and headed out to her car. Once behind the wheel, she didn't immediately turn the key in the ignition. Her mind turned over so many different explanations of why he didn't call her, or at least one of the others, if he was still mad about her 'wrong question'. None of the reasons ended well. She started the car and headed home.

When she turned onto 'their' street, the first thing she noticed was that his truck was gone and the house was dark. Even from here it felt empty, like the spark that had turned it from a house into a home was gone. She parked and turned off the car. She felt rooted to the spot. If she didn't go in, she wouldn't have to know. She finally decided she couldn't sit here all night and got out. Walking up to the front door, she anxiously waited to hear Monty's excited bark. He always greeted them at the door the same way. Tonight, there was no sound. She knew when she put the key in the lock. She knew he wasn't there and neither was the dog. That meant he'd managed to get home somehow and was now gone again. She wondered for how long, feeling anger at him start to take shape. If he was going to just walk away like this, then maybe it was better to find out now, before they got in too much deeper. She sighed, who was she kidding? She was already in so deep that his being gone would be like missing a limb. She turned the key and entered.

The first thing that hit her was the emptiness. The furniture was still there. Everything like she'd left it that morning when she had raced into work, worried about him, trying to figure out why this was happening to them. Now, it felt cold and lonely. She noticed immediately that his favorite board wasn't propped up against the wall where it had been this morning. A glimmer of hope sparked in her. He would go to the ocean after what had happened. It was his solace, the place he always went when he needed to think, to be comforted. The hope died when she saw the envelope on the table, addressed to her in his handwriting. His handwriting was like the way he kept the house, so out of keeping with his appearance, neat and clean. She picked it up and ran her finger over her name, afraid to find out what was inside. Was he going to tell her to pack her things and be gone before he got back? She really didn't know what to expect. She knew she'd been wrong when she'd asked him why he did it. Knew he would never do this thing. Looking back she really didn't even understand herself why she would have gone there.

Steeling herself, she ran her finger under the flap and pulled out the letter he had left for her. In addition a key she recognized fell out into her hand. He'd left her his copy of her apartment key. Her fist closed around it, not sure what it meant. She opened the letter and began to read.

 _Kensi,_

 _I don't even know where to begin. I find myself torn. I thought you would have my back, just like I had yours when Granger accused you of killing the members of your dad's old unit. Regardless of any evidence against you, I believed with everything in me that you were innocent. I'd hoped you would do the same for me. I love you. I will love you until the end of my days. You are my world and I can't imagine it without you.  
_

 _However, I can also see the other side. The one where you were taken by surprise and you knew I was hiding something from you. I know you've suspected that for months. For that, I need to take the blame. There are some things I need to tell you, things I need you to know. I should have told you when the investigation first started. I'm not really sure why I didn't other than the fact that it involved more than just me._

 _First, about the woman who confessed. I knew her back when I had just become a detective. She became one of my first CI's and I liked her. In the course of talking about family, I figured out she's actually my half-sister. Didn't see that coming! I never told her we were related as she had a very idealized view of our dad. I didn't want to take that away from her. All I could do was watch out for her. I knew Boyle made use of her services and I suspected that she was the one who killed him. I never told anyone. I helped her get out of that life and back on her feet. When they arrested me for the murder, I couldn't just give her up. I was counting on you and NCIS to figure out another way to prove me innocent. She was just a kid when it happened and she was now living a normal, happy life. Turns out she couldn't allow me to take the fall for something she did. I've already been in touch with a lawyer to help her out. I will be with her every step of the way, doing anything I can, from wherever I am._

 _Second. I resigned from LAPD as soon as they released me. I can't continue to work for an organization that is so corrupt that it almost cost me my freedom and possibly my life. That means I won't be the Liaison anymore, for obvious reasons. I won't be your partner anymore. If you're thinking that this opens the door to me applying to become an NCIS agent, don't. I am done with law enforcement. I don't know what's next for me. It will come to me in time. That's one of the things I need to discover while I'm away._

 _I know I should stick around to help figure out who set me up, but I need some time away to think, to come to terms with everything that's happened. I always considered being a cop more than just a job, it was who I was. Now that's gone and I feel lost. I don't know how long it will take. It might be a week, a month or longer. But know this, I will be back and we will talk._ _Let me do this and when I get back, we'll figure it out, we always do.  
_

 _In the meantime, look into Fisk and Monica Lee. Whiting is also involved in this somehow, I know it. I just don't know why. What could they have hoped to gain? The only thing I keep coming back to is revenge. Monica told me it was my fault that she got disbarred. That it was my talking Quinn into giving evidence against her and Fisk that led to it. I think she doesn't understand that we had more than enough against both of them, even without Quinn. He was just the icing on the cake._

 _Tell Sam that I'm sorry I wouldn't talk to him in lock up. I just couldn't handle any more suspicion from the people I care about most. I do regret that. I'll never know what he might have said. How things might have gone differently._

 _Callen, I don't even know what to tell you to tell him. I know he and I have never gotten as close as I would have liked. I don't know if it was me or him.  
_

 _Do me a favor, my Kick-Ass Kensi? Take care of everyone for me? I know that sounds weird, but it comes from my heart._ _Please take care of yourself as well._ _Monty would be upset if anything happened to his favorite person while we're gone._

 _It's time for me to go. Know that you will always be in my thoughts.  
_

 _I love you,_

 _Marty_

She put the letter down on the table and stared into space. The letter had both devastated her and given her hope. Yes, he was gone. Yes, she wouldn't be able to explain to him, until he got back, that she _had_ believed in his innocence once the initial shock was over. But he was coming back. He'd promised and Marty Deeks always kept his promises. She would work on his case while he was gone. She would find out who had done this to him, to them and they would pay.

~,~,~,~

A/N – I have now watched Internal Affairs about six times. I really wished he hadn't done it but I'm coming around to understanding why. He isn't perfect, no one is. This, now alternate reality, story began before the episode aired and was more what I had hoped would happen. We don't always get what we wish for, but it's been a fun story to write. I hope to wrap it up in just a chapter or two more.

I've also watched Cancel Christmas and am so glad he told Kensi the truth so quickly. Yes, it was a weird place for him to do it but she gave him the perfect opening with her innocent question of what he wanted for Christmas, just like he'd asked her. I am so pleased that they didn't drag this out! I was envisioning episode after episode where he drew away from her, both because of his secret and what Hetty had said to him at the end of the previous episode. I could just see them starting to argue about every little thing which would have become tedious. Way to go Deeks!


	11. Chapter 11

Chapter 11

Four weeks. He'd only lasted four damn weeks! Well, if he was honest, it was more like two and a half but he'd fought it hard that last week or so. He'd finally given in and called Granger. He sat at the bar, nursing a cup of coffee, and waiting for the man to show up. He'd picked this place because it was where it had all started. It was here that Hetty had offered him the Liaison position and he'd signed the paperwork. That simple act had changed his life forever. It was here he was going to make another life altering move. He'd kept his word to her and let her know how he was doing okay as he surfed up and down the coast of Mexico and California, moving from beach to beach, motel to motel. He'd worn himself out each day and then tried to sleep the nights away.

He knew she'd been keeping his old team and Kensi up to date on his wellbeing. Kensi. Kensi was never far from his thoughts and he'd come to realize he still wanted, no needed, her in his life. She was allowed to make mistakes just like anyone else. Hell, he'd made more than enough of them himself. It was just that this one had hurt. Hurt enough that he'd worried about that part of him that belonged to his dad, that part that reared its ugly head on rare occasions and made him a mean and ugly man. That was a part of him he would never want to expose her to.

His thoughts turned to the decision he'd made. He knew it was for himself but it was also for them.

Monty had been at his side but still, he'd been lonely and, the longer he stayed away, the more bored and homesick he'd gotten. The surfing had been great but he missed the action of his job, the teamwork and comradery. He hoped Granger had meant what he'd said when he'd walked out of the Mission after resigning. He looked up when the door opened, not really surprised to see Hetty by the Assistant Director's side. He had to smile, he was so happy to see both of them. Why had he fought it this long? He shook his head. He knew why. It had galled him that Granger had been right. He could be stubborn when he chose to be and he had so chosen this time.

"Mr. Deeks. It's good to see you! You look well. The surfing life agrees with you."

"Hi Hetty. Yeah, but it's not a life. It's a hobby." He got up and surprised her by grabbing her in a hug and kissing her forehead.

"Cheeky bugger!" she said as she smiled up at him.

He looked up at Granger who said gruffly "Not enough booze in the world." Then he promptly ruined it by grinning at Deeks and saying "I knew you wouldn't be able to stay away."

"Who says that's why I wanted to see you? Maybe I just wanted to say hi and see how you were doing."

"You really don't expect me to believe that, do you Deeks?" The smirk was still on Granger's face.

Deeks had to smile. "No, I really don't." He took a deep breath. "So, is the offer still open?"

"It is. Which agency?"

"Was there ever any doubt? NCIS and OSP. I want to go back to my team, if they'll have me."

It was Hetty who answered, the smile on her face warming him. "Oh, they'll have you Mr. Deeks. If one more person asks me if I've heard from you, if you've said when you're coming back, how you're doing, I think I may have to start threatening people with my letter opener." She paused and, if possible, her smile got wider. "It always worked with you."

"Now who's being a cheeky bugger?" he asked. He was pleased that everyone had been asking after him, and then his smile faded.

"Callen? How will he react?"

"Your team leader was the worst offender. He lasted three days before the silence drove him to start stalking me. Mr. Hanna was a close second. If I didn't know better, I would think Miss. Jones and Mr. Beale hacked my phone to find out for themselves. I am also aware that you turned your phone off most days, they tried to track you on several occasions."

"And Kensi?"

"That will be between you and Miss. Blye. I think you'll find that she'll be very happy to see you back. She hasn't been the same since you left. She doesn't laugh as much and we miss that side of her." She reached into the bag slung over her shoulder and pulled out a folder that she handed over to him. He flashed back seven years ago. He took it from her and, as he'd suspected, found the paperwork all filled in and needing only his signature. He wondered if this was the same paperwork she had given him early on, just before she had resigned and left for Prague. He wasn't sure what had happened to them. He looked it over, he couldn't help himself; he was a lawyer after all. When he was satisfied that all was in order, he realized he didn't have a pen. He looked up to say something only to find both Hetty and Granger holding a pen out to him. He laughed and grabbed the nearest one, signing the paperwork with a flourish.

He handed it back to Hetty who carefully stored it away. "Director Vance has already indicated that he will fast track this today. Now, let's talk about your FLETC training."

"Wait, what? Training? Don't I get a pass for the seven years I've already spent with NCIS?" He whined.

"I'm afraid not, Mr. Deeks. You will need to go through the full training if you want to be an agent. It's only two months and you'll need to go to Washington for it; the next class in Los Angeles doesn't start for three months. Class in Washington starts on Monday. I've taken the liberty of booking you a flight Sunday night. You'll stay in the residences there. I'm sure Miss. Blye will be happy to take care of Monty."

"Monday? Wow, that's…that's really quick." Today was Friday, that only gave him two days to get used to his change in status and to spend some time with Kensi.

"Miss. Blye will be very pleased to have you, and Monty, home. I hope that you will contact the others before you leave?"

"Actually, I don't think I'm going to tell any of them that I'm going or that I've applied to be an agent until I'm done with it and it's official. Would it be possible for both of you to keep this to yourselves until I'm actually an NCIS agent?"

Hetty frowned. "Why would you want to keep that from your team, Mr. Deeks?"

"I want to do this on my own. Prove that I can. I don't want Sam, Callen or Kensi feeling like they need to help me or to second guess me. I want to come back as a full-fledged agent and surprise them."

"Very well. Will you at least be letting Kensi know that you're home, even if only temporarily?"

"Yes. I can't wait to see her, I missed her so much. I needed to make sure I knew you were both still willing for me to become an agent before I saw her."

"I think I understand. It will be good to have you back, Mr. Deeks!"

"Thanks Hetty." He frowned. "So, is there any progress in my case?"

"In a manner of speaking. When confronted, Miss. Lee was most forthcoming. The whole setup was to get revenge on you. Mr. Fisk was most displeased that Mr. Quinn gave us all the information we needed to put him away for a very long time. He had counted on his hold over the man to stop him from ever betraying him. Your connection with Mr. Quinn and how you used it to talk him into giving state's evidence did not sit well with him. In his mind, you were directly responsible for his being in jail. He had gotten away with so much for so long; I believe he had come to think he was untouchable. In addition, he lost his pet lawyer due to that case. It cost him two people he had spent a lot of time and money on. You became the focus of his attention. The information Miss. Lee gave us will add quite a few years to his sentence."

"And Whiting?"

"Ah, Miss. Whiting. She is in the wind for the moment. Mr. Beale and Miss. Jones were able to dig into her financials and found that she was on Mr. Fisk's payroll for quite a while. Unlike Mr. Quinn and Miss. Lee, her education was not paid for. She was bought off the old fashioned way. Money, pure and simple. Lt. Bates took a closer look at the evidence from the Boyle case, in light of what transpired, and noticed that the entry for the bullet was written in a different hand. We confirmed that it matched hers. Even if Detective Rivera had signed a statement that the bullet wasn't in evidence before, any good prosecutor would state that it was simply her recollection, that there was no proof it hadn't been there the whole time and she had simply missed it. There's a very good possibility that, had things gone down differently, that plant would never have been uncovered. When we went to Whiting's place to arrest her, it was locked up tight and all her personal belongings were gone. We have an APB out on her but haven't heard a word yet. She must have had an escape route planned out in advance, should her relationship with Mr. Fisk come to light."

Deeks sighed, wondering why he always seemed to attract the dirty cops and the loonies. He was glad LAPD and NCIS had uncovered this information and that his name was fully free and clear. He had thought that he was done with law enforcement but had come to find out it was too much a part of his makeup. Maybe, with NCIS, things would be different, better. There would be bad people everywhere, even in NCIS; he just hoped that he didn't run up against them any time soon.

"How is Stephanie?"

"She's doing well, Mr. Deeks. She and her children are still in protective custody and will remain so until the trial. You need to know that she asked to see you before they go into Witness Protection. Mr. Callen told her it would be up to you."

He nodded and thought about it. "I'd like that. I haven't seen her in years. I'd like to meet her children. I bet she's a good mom, kids always liked her." Hetty smiled as she remembered the conversation Mr. Callen and Mr. Hanna had relayed to her. Mrs. Harper apparently had voiced the same feelings about Mr. Deeks.

"When you get back from training, we'll arrange for you to meet with them."

He nodded and then ooked at his watch, surprised at how much time had passed. "I'm going to head home now; I want to surprise Kensi when she gets there."

"I can think of no better surprise." She reached out and put her hand on his arm. "We really are pleased that you finally decided to become an NCIS agent, Marty."

He knew just how pleased she was by the use of his first name. He smiled down at her and said "Thank you. It means the world to me that you, both of you, have faith in me." He looked up and smiled at Granger as well, who smiled back, showing that he was genuinely pleased with the turn of events.

"You'll keep us updated on your progress, Deeks. We won't say anything to the others but we'll want to know how you're doing." Said Granger.

"Will do. I'll talk to you later Hetty?"

"See that you do." She pulled him into a hug one last time and then let go. Granger shook his hand and added his congratulations to Hetty's. Smiling, he left the bar and headed home.

Hetty turned to Granger and said "Shall we have a scotch, Owen? Toast the birth of NCIS Agent Deeks?"

Granger nodded and then said jokingly "I hope this isn't the first drink of many that Agent Deeks will drive us to!"

~,~,~,~

Kensi was tired. She always seemed to feel tired these days. She hadn't been sleeping as well since Deeks left. Worried about what his plans for the future would be, if they would still include her, what he planned on doing now what he wasn't in law enforcement anymore. The updates from Hetty were few and far between. She wasn't paying all that much attention and didn't notice the truck parked out front of their place until she was almost on top of it. She'd know that truck anywhere and felt her heart speed up. He was home! Her stomach clenched with anxiety, wondering what was coming.

She parked and got out of the car. She walked slowly up the front walkway and opened the door. Entering, she threw her keys in the dish by the door where they always kept them, noting that his were already there. She could hear Monty barking out in the backyard. Then, he was there. Looking at her with those eyes. Those eyes that she had missed so much in the last month.

"Hey Kens." He said softly. He seemed nervous. She froze, just looking at him. He looked good. Tanned and relaxed. Her stomach roiled as she waited to see what he would have to say next.

"I missed you Princess. I'm sorry that I left like that but I needed to figure out my future before I could expect you to spend it with me. I've done it, I've figured out what I want to do and I hope that you still want to be with me. " He swallowed hard. "Do you? Do you still want to be with me even if I'm not a cop anymore?"

"Wrong question Deeks!" Kensi said as she raced across the room and flung herself into his arms, almost knocking both of them over. "I missed you so much!" She mumbled into his chest.

"I missed you too baby." He kissed her and she grabbed the back of his head, deepening it. Pouring all her longing for him into it. They were both breathing hard when they separated for air.

"You're home, you're really home!"

"Uh, yeah, about that. I have to leave again Sunday night."

She pulled out of his arms and crossed hers over her chest.

"What? Why? How long this time? Is this going to be what our life is like from now on? You up and leave and I don't see you for weeks? Then you come home and rile me all up again, just to leave again a few days later?" She was getting pissed.

"No! Baby, no! It's just this one time! It's something I need to do for me, for us! I'll be gone about two months and then, when I get back, I'm never going to leave you again!"

"Where are you going?"

"I can't tell you just yet. I need to do this on my own. Can you trust me? Just a little while longer?"

She searched his eyes, seeing nothing but love and sincerity there. Slowly she nodded and the relief that filled his face was too real to be faked. She reached up and touched his face, running her hand down his jaw and then passing her fingers over his lips. She felt him shiver and watched as his eyes darkened. Suddenly he moved. He picked her up in a bridal carry and headed for the stairs to the second floor, to their room. She hid her face in the crook of his neck and began to kiss him. She bit him on the ear and he stumbled. "God, Kens, don't do that or we'll never make it to the bedroom!"

She giggled and they both started laughing as he entered their room. She looked into his eyes again when he put her down and the laughter died for both of them. She took a deep breath. "I'm sorry Deeks! So sorry that I said that to you! You have to know that I never believed you were guilty. I was taken by surprise and so freaked out. I never meant to hurt you! I would _never_ want to hurt you!"

He put a finger over her lips. "I know Kens and I forgive you. And I know that I'm just as much to blame. If I'd told you about Boyle and Tiffany, then maybe we could have figured it all out before it came to such a disastrous ending. I shouldn't have hidden it from you. Can you forgive me?"

She smiled up at him as she pulled him down to the bed. "Right question, Deeks and the answer is yes, I forgive you as you've forgiven me. Just, no more secrets."

"No more secrets."

~,~,~,~

A/N – I have no idea about FLETC and how long it takes to go through full training. Call it creative license and forgive me for any errors!


	12. Chapter 12

Chapter 12

Hetty reached for her phone when it rang, echoing around the practically empty Mission. Most of her agents and the rest of the staff had all gone home for the day. She smiled when she saw the caller id. "Mr. Deeks! How are you doing?" She'd kept herself up to date on his progress at FLETC and was gratified to find that he was at the head of his class. While he often came off as the jokester who didn't take anything seriously, she knew there was a very smart and clever man under the façade. One didn't make it through law school if one wasn't intelligent and he had shown that intelligence over the years as her Liaison. A ghost of a memory concerning forensic botany and something that may have been spinach passed through her mind, causing her smile to widen.

"I'm doing fine, Hetty. Just calling for my weekly check in. How is everyone?"

Hetty frowned. She found she didn't like the tone in her detective, no, agent's voice. He sounded dispirited. "Your team is fine, Mr. Deeks, but I find myself doubting the veracity of your statement that you are."

"What? No, no, I'm just fine, good in fact!"

"Mr. Deeks!"

A deep sigh sounded over the phone. "Well, I may be having some issues with a couple of my fellow students and one of my instructors. Both the students who are giving me a hard time are criminology graduates. They look down on "LEOs" and don't think I should be here, that I can't cut it, even though I'm passing all my classes. The instructor in question may, or may not, have found out that Director Vance fast tracked my application. He seems to be offended by that."

"Are they aware of the fact that you are a lawyer and of your association with NCIS for the last seven years?"

"Um, no."

"Mr. Deeks, why ever not?"

"I didn't want to seem like I was bragging or expecting special treatment. The same reason why I didn't want to tell the team that I was becoming an agent. I want to do this on my own merit, not my associations with anyone else or my prior livelihood."

Hetty grimaced, she knew Mr. Deeks could be very stubborn and was apparently going to be adamant about this. She was actually somewhat surprised as Mr. Deeks usually liked to be the center of attention. She decided to make a phone call after she hung up from him. "Very well, Mr. Deeks. I understand even if I don't agree. Keep your head up and your eyes open, you'll do just fine."

"Thanks Hetty! I feel better just from having spoken to you. I don't know why I let any of them get to me, they aren't worth my time."

"That's the spirit!" They talked a bit longer. Deeks told her that he had run into DiNozzo and they seemed to get along better on the east coast. They had gone out for drinks a couple times and found they had a lot in common, not the least being that DiNozzo had also been a LEO before joining NCIS. Deeks hung up after telling her he would call again next week, at the same time.

She hung up and dialed another number.

"Leon?"

~,~,~,~

Deeks looked around the Washington field office of NCIS. It was very…orange. He had warned Tony that his class would be touring the facility today and to not make a big deal out of their knowing each other. He had finally confided his difficulties with the other two students and instructor. Tony had understood as he'd come up against the same prejudice about his background that Deeks was running into and he'd had been very sympathetic. He'd agreed that, if the team was in the building during the tour, he would ignore him, laughingly saying that it would be easy. Unfortunately for him, but fortunate for the naval personnel in the area, DiNozzo's team was present when they arrived.

Standing at the back of the group, he looked around in interest. It was so different from the offices of OSP back in L.A. Now he understood some of the things DiNozzo had said when he'd come to ask for their assistance in tracking down Rio. He smiled when he thought of the little fugitive. While a pain in the butt, Deeks had found him amusing.

"Mr. Deeks! Would you like to share with the rest of the group, what you apparently find so amusing about the offices of MCRT?"

"No, Mr. Baker, I find nothing amusing about the office."

"Perhaps you would care to tell the group what MCRT stands for and what they do here?" The instructor smirked at him, convinced that the scruffy ex LAPD detective wouldn't have a clue, that he hadn't been paying attention.

"Major Crimes Response Team. This team is responsible for investigating all major crimes committed by, and against, naval personnel on the east coast, including, but not limited to, murder. " Was Deeks immediate response. Pryor harrumphed and turned back to his tour. Deeks attention wandered again when he saw DiNozzo rolling his eyes at him behind the pompous man's back. He had to stifle a laugh, knowing that laughing would just earn him more derision. The tour left the main floor and headed up to MTAC. DiNozzo winked at him, the rest of his team frowning as they tried to figure out how their Senior Agent knew one of the probie agents being led around the building.

When they disappeared up the stairs and into MTAC, Gibbs grilled his senior agent and was regaled, in typical DiNozzo fashion, about the LAPD detective turned NCIS agent. Gibbs looked at DiNozzo when he was done and said "And the way the tour leader just treated him?"

DiNozzo opened and closed his mouth a couple times, not wanting to betray a confidence but Gibbs was having none of it. He finally broke and filled his boss in on the trouble Deeks was having with some of his class but emphasizing that Deeks wanted no special treatment or any attention called to him. Gibbs frowned and looked up towards the room the group had gone into.

Vance was just on his way in to talk to the newest group of recruits when he felt Gibbs's eyes on him. He turned and looked down at his team leader. He had been standing upstairs and had seen firsthand what Hetty had called to warn him about. She had requested that he look after her agent. He remembered the detective staring him in the face, several years ago, when the rest of his team had turned in their badges and guns in order to follow Hetty to the Czech Republic against his specific orders. The man had said he would turn his in as well if he could, but being LAPD and not NCIS, it was not necessary. He'd stared at Vance and then turned to follow his team out the door and across the ocean. He'd impressed him then and the things he'd heard over the years had not changed that. He'd been more than pleased to fast track the detective's application so that he could start his training quickly. He was pretty sure the man would be an outstanding agent; after all, he'd been an agent for years in all but name.

He nodded at Gibbs and went into the room, finding the recruits sitting and listening to Baker tell them about the uses of MTAC and the high security the room normally required. The man looked up as Vance entered and preened himself. "You recruits are getting a special treat today. Director Vance will be addressing you. He's a very busy man and you should feel honored that he is taking time out of his day to be here."

Vance walked up to the front of the room and faced them. He couldn't help but notice that Deeks was sitting in the back row, slouching as far down in his chair as he could, not making eye contact. Vance smirked but he was actually more impressed that Deeks didn't want their prior association brought out. Most would use that connection to impress their fellow students and gain points with the instructors. He willed the ex-detective to look his way and wasn't surprised when the man's head came up and their eyes met. He nodded at the man once and turned back to the task at hand. After giving them the regular song and dance, he indicated to Baker that he would like to talk with each of the recruits. The man puffed up like he was personally responsible. It was all Vance could do not to roll his eyes at him.

Each recruit came up and told Vance a little about himself and shook his hand. When it was Deeks's turn, he heard a couple derogatory remarks made by another recruit. He waited to hear Baker rebuke the young man but none was forthcoming. Turning to look at the offender, he frowned and the younger man paled, knowing he'd been heard and that the Director was not pleased. He shut his mouth quickly. Turning back to Deeks he took the proffered hand and squeezed it, letting him know that he wasn't going to say anything but that he was pleased the man was here. Deeks grinned widely at him, message received.

Vance left MTAC and headed back to his office. He would call Hetty and give her an update. Once Deeks's class had graduated, he intended to have a talk with Baker about his treatment of the man. LEO's were just as smart as any agent, some more so. Experience should never be discounted. He sighed and pulled out the paperwork that he had to complete for SecNav.

Downstairs, the tour continued. Baker was surprised once again, when Gibbs made a point to stop the group and talk with them. This was definitely one of his better tours. Gibbs was notoriously not interested in making small talk with the new recruits. He couldn't help but notice that the team leader seemed to be interested in the inappropriately dressed surfer from LA. He sighed, hoping that the man wouldn't embarrass them. He listened as the Gibbs asked the recruits questions regarding SOP and law. Most of the students floundered a little but he was pretty sure it was due to being put on the spot by the very intimidating NCIS team leader. Surprisingly, Deeks answered each question accurately and with confidence. Baker frowned; convinced the man was showing off. Eventually Gibbs indicated that his patience was up and the tour continued down to the lab and morgue.

Abby was looking forward to the tour coming through. She loved showing off her babies to the new guys, even if she found Baker annoying. Plus, Tony had confided that one of the newbies worked with the LA OSP team, although he hadn't been there when Abby had worked a case with them. She was looking forward to getting a good look at him. Tony had let her know that Deeks hadn't wanted to play up his position with OSP and that he was having issues with a couple people regarding his worthiness to be in the program. The doors to the lab opened and the group came in. She picked Deeks out immediately and thought she'd have to have a talk with Tony. She hadn't been warned that the man was so damned attractive. She found herself staring at him and then grinned when he winked at her. She showed them around and answered any questions they had. As they left, Deeks turned back and smiled at her, winking once again. Tony had said he'd gone out with Deeks for drinks several times. She had every intention of going with them next time.

Things got a little dicier with the tour when they reached the morgue. Dr. Mallard had a body on the table and was in the middle of an autopsy, working with Jimmy Palmer on assessing cause of death. Most of the group had never seen a dead body before, let alone one that was opened up. Most turned green and looked away. One man, however, simply looked over the body with interest, sidling up to look inside the chest cavity to see what was being done. He started to ask questions about cause of death and what the body was telling the medical examiner. Ducky was very pleased and found himself talking to him almost exclusively. Jimmy made a couple of his lame jokes and was happy when the man laughed with him. Ducky was somewhat surprised at the look of annoyance on Mr. Baker's face. He was sure there was a story there. The group eventually left, most of them still looking green around the gills.

~,~,~,~

The rest of the training class went quickly. Deeks had found a friend in DiNozzo and, after the tour when he had met the rest of the man's team, more often than not, one or more would join them for drinks. Having people to spend time with helped with his homesickness and made him feel less lonely. The night before graduation, they had all gone out to dinner, including Abby, Jimmy and Ducky. As a surprise, Director Vance had showed up and picked up the bill. Over all, it was a very pleasant evening but Deeks was happy it was almost over, that he would be able to head back to L.A. and Kensi. They talked almost every night and they missed each other terribly. Kensi had even gone so far at tell him that Monty was moping around the house, listening to Tori Amos. They had both laughed at her using his code for the fact that he had desperately missed her when she was in Afghanistan. He would graduate tomorrow and was booked on the first available flight home.

Graduation day dawned, cold and dreary. Deeks couldn't wait to get out of here. Hetty had asked again if he wanted his team to know what he was up to, now that he'd passed and was about to graduate. He'd declined and Hetty had let it go, for the most part. When Deeks got to the FLETC auditorium, he was surprised to find her and Granger waiting for him.

"What are you two doing here?"

"Mr. Deeks, neither Owen, nor myself, were willing to let you graduate without someone in the audience for you!"

He looked at both of them, standing there, knowing that they had both flown across the country to be here for him and he felt his throat close up. He cleared it and simply said "I'm very glad you're both here to represent the OSP team. I hope I made you both proud?"

"Most definitely, Mr. Deeks, most definitely."

Granger was a little gruffer. "Let's get this how on the road so we can get back home." Both Hetty and Deeks looked at him in surprise; they both had heard the man state on more than one occasion that he hated California. He looked back at both of them and said "What?" daring them to comment. Both laughed, the emotional moment broken and they went inside to find Gibbs and his team, Ducky, Jimmy and Abby waiting for them. Deeks wasn't sure what to say so he said thank you and left it at that.

Once all the recruits were given their new badges and officially welcomed into the NCIS family by Director Vance, everyone was milling about. Baker moved through the groups, congratulating his favorites and ignoring Deeks. When Vance approached, he waited, wondering if the man would acknowledge him, not knowing that he would soon regret wishing that.

"Mr. Baker, a word please?"

"Of course Director!" Baker was pleased, thinking that he was about to be praised for his work and excused himself from the group he was with.

Moving away from everyone, Vance led him to a quieter area and turned to him. "Mr. Baker, if I ever hear of you treating another recruit the way you did Martin Deeks, you'll be looking for another job, do I make myself clear?"

Baker was stunned. "Did he run to you, complaining about his treatment? The man has no business becoming an agent. Look at him! He looks like he should be on a beach somewhere with a surfboard."

"No, Deeks did not complain to me. His boss, Hetty Lange, did that."

"THE Hetty Lange? What…what do you mean his boss?"

"Agent Deeks has been a member of OSP's elite team for seven years and deserved better than the way you treated him. Even if he hadn't been, no one deserves to be treated like that just based on his supposed background and looks. Deeks is a graduate of Pepperdine Law, has been a Public Defender, one of the best detectives LAPD had and a valued member of the NCIS family. Perhaps you need a refresher course in how to recognize talent?"

Baker's mouth dropped open and he didn't know how to respond. "He never said anything!"

"He shouldn't have had to. Deeks simply wanted to be accepted on his own merit and not the people he knows. You should take a page out of his book."

"Yes, Director. I'm sorry."

"Don't apologize to me, apologize to him." Vance gave him a look that said that this was not a suggestion. Baker nodded and Vance walked away. Baker seethed. The scruffy Californian had shown him up in front of the Director, conveniently forgetting that it was his own actions that had brought the rebuke down on his shoulders. He scanned the room and saw Deeks, surrounded by Gibbs and his team, a small woman he believed was the aforementioned Hetty Lange and a tall man he recognized as Assistant Director Owen Granger. Dr. Mallard, his assistant and Abby Sciuto rounded out the group. They all appeared to be congratulating him and he felt the bile rise in his throat, knowing he would have to apologize to the man who had been a thorn in his side from the moment he'd walked through the door. Now he knew why Deeks's application had been fast tracked. He had the ear of some of the top people at the agency.

Squaring his shoulders, he stalked towards the group to get this over with. "Agent Deeks, congratulations. May I have a word?"

Deeks looked at him in confusion, he had never expected the man to seek him out, certainly hadn't expected him to congratulate him. He followed Baker away from his group, Granger reminding him that they had a plane to catch. Deeks nodded, figuring that whatever Baker had to say was not going to take long.

Away from the groups of people, Baker stopped and turned to him. "I've been told I owe you an apology for the way I treated you. So, I apologize."

"Wow, that was heartfelt! How could I not accept it?" Deeks said sarcastically.

"You can accept it or not. I've made it and I've done what I needed to."

"Understood. I'm still not sure why you took such in instant dislike to me when I never did anything to you, and I find I really don't' care, but, apology accepted." Deeks turned away, dismissing the man from his mind and made his way back to his family and friends.

~,~,~,~

The Monday after Deeks's graduation, Hetty and Granger walked into the bullpen and requested the attention of her agents. Nell and Eric came down from upstairs at her earlier request. Hetty said "Miss. Blye, it's been several months now and we need to get you another permanent partner. This team needs a fourth member and it's time."

Kensi opened her mouth to protest and shut it again. She knew Hetty was right but she only wanted one partner and he was no longer available to her. It had been two months since he went off to do whatever it was he was doing and she just wanted him home. She nodded and sighed. Surprisingly, it was Sam who protested.

"Are we really sure Deeks won't be back? I'd rather have him on this team than anyone else."

"Detective Deeks will not be returning. The agent I have in mind just graduated FLETC this weekend at the top of his class."

"A rookie? Really Hetty?" complained Sam. He missed Deeks and the empty desk next to him was a constant reminder of that. Wait. "Where's he going to be sitting? He can't have Deeks's desk!"

"I'm afraid there is no other choice, Mr. Hanna."

"No. That's Deeks's desk."

Hetty was finding it hard to stop her smile. "If I remember correctly, when Detective Deeks first joined us you felt the same way about it being _Dom's_ desk and you didn't want _him_ sitting there."

"Yeah, well, things change."

"Indeed, Mr. Hanna, and they are changing again." She looked behind them, seeing the man in question standing there, listening. She looked at Kensi and said "Your new partner has arrived, Miss. Blye." She gestured behind her. "Let me introduce you to Special Agent Martin Deeks."

The whole group spun around. Deeks grinned at them and he was quickly surrounded by everyone. Kensi even relaxed her rules and threw herself into his arms, kissing him long and hard in front of everyone. Nell was crying and gave him hug, telling him how much they'd missed him, that it hadn't been the same without him. Deeks looked carefully at Callen who was standing back a little. He knew that this was the real test. Would Callen welcome him back?

"Callen, if you don't want me on this team, say the word and I'm gone. I'll find another office to work through. Do you want me on this team?"

Callen stared at him, letting him sweat a little and then grinned. "Wrong question _Agent_ Deeks. Welcome home!"

~,~,~,~

A/N - this probably could have gone longer but I lost focus after the episode aired and we found out he really was guilty.


End file.
